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| Sunday, 7 September 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Art is a labour of love by Jayanthi Liyanage
"For the growth and improvement of the art movement in Sri Lanka, our emerging artists require to be given exposure, awareness of art, and space to cultivate togetherness. Our intention at George Keyt Foundation is to provide these three rudiments to the local artists through studies, exhibitions, artists' camps and a place to display their work," said Sita de Silva, Secretary, Board of Trustees, George Keyt Foundation, at the tenth exhibition of Nawa Kalakaruwo, held during the week at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre. Today will be the last day of the exhibition. In Nawa Kalakaruwo 2003, the Foundation presented the best of the emerging local young artists, displayed in its exhibitions Kalapola and Young Contemporaries, she added. "Each year, we keep adding more to Nawa Kalakaruwo. The talent is in the country, in abundance. The role of our foundation is to give opportunity." Indika Pathmananda, Sunil Jayantha Ekanayake and Rasitha Sanjeewa are three of such emerging talented artists featured among 28 others, such as Niloo Gunasekera, Basil Cooray, Vajira Gunawardena, Preethi Hapuwatte, Dilini Perera and K.D. Lakshman Senadeera.
Indika's strength lies in his exquisitely captured grasp of his subject, rendered in vivid colours. Sunil aspires for a rationality between reality and the abstract, which he perceives as an analysis derived from the personal internalisation of a subject. Rasitha attempts to revive memories of concepts he comprehends to have been in existence 'before the decay'. "I am among the five artists featured in Art of Sri Lanka in the Encyclopedia Britanicca 2003, with George Keyt, Lionel Deraniyagala, Nayanananda and K.D. Lakshman," says Rasitha, drawing attention to the heights which the right exposure can make available to the local artists. Ceylon Tobacco Company Ltd., collaborated with George Keyt Foundation to present Nawa Kalakaruwo 2003. ############# What is 'Sinhala Music'? : A lecture demonstration by Carlo Fonseka A lecture-demonstration entitled Christian influences on Sinhala modern music at the Alliance Francaise on August 21 was unusual in several respects. It started sharp on time and ended exactly sixty minutes later. It was truly a demonstration with five artistes performing Sinhala music. The most famous of these was Pandith W. D. Amaradeva, who spoke in perfect English and sang, needless to say, in perfect Sinhala. Neela Wickramasinghe sang a lullaby in old style and new. Anton Charles along with a church choir soprano sang a host of songs, all carefully selected to illustrate the theme of Portuguese influence, from baila to church pasan (passion music), carols and church hymns (geetha). Carlo Fonseka had six sections in his presentation: folk music, Portuguese secular music (baila), Portuguese-derived religious music, (pasan, carol, hymns), Fr. Marcelline Jayakody's hymns, Sunil Santha and associates and Stanley Pieris. The demonstration for Folk Music was a lullaby (Doi doi) sung by Neela Wickremasinghe. Thereafter Anton Charles sang many songs, in some of which he was joined by a church choir soprano, and he was accompanied by a lad playing on a synthesiser keyboard. Pandith Amaradeva discussed the roots of Danno Budunge and sang it in Indian style and then in Westernised style, accompanying himself on a serapina. A Fr. Marcelline Jayakody hymn of 1931 was sung by Anton Charles and the church soprano. Sunil Santha's, Jesu upanne, came next, and finally a song by Stanley Pieris. This had been chosen because Carlo Fonseka had been deeply moved by it; it was Peiris' last song composed when he was dying of cancer. A half-hour period of questions and comments at the end of the lecture-demonstration led to more comments on Danno budunge, and to searching questions on What is Sinhala music? and even What is music? Finally, Pandith Amaradeva hummed the melody of Carlo Fonseka's song Minipiri. The most revealing conclusion, although not stated so, was that if western music is to become a Sinhalese people's music, it must be indigenised, that is, adapted in rhythm and melody to fit Sinhala words. Straightforward western music, faithful to what the western composer wrote for voice or instrument, is what the elite take to in its concerts and foreign examinations. It is an elitist phenomenon, not a people's phenomenon. Indigenised western music becomes people's music, and no one thinks of it otherwise. No one thinks of baila or pasan or kantharu as western music; it is Sinhala music now. - O. D. Sooriyapala. ############ Water colour paintings exhibition
The fourth solo exhibition of water colour paintings by Palitha Gunasinghe will be held at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery from September 25 to 30. One may think water colour is an easy medium to work in, but the truth is far from that. Only a person with a practical knowledge of it could have a precise idea of the arduous nature of the task, and of the mastery that the medium calls for.
The present exhibition by Palitha representing folk life, scenic beauty and ancient ruins in Sri Lanka comprises around forty (40) paintings, and is open to the public daily from September 25-30 from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. Admission is free. The ninth one man exhibition of paintings by M. Chandrapala will be held at Alliance Francaise Gallery Colombo, from Sept. 7-8. The paintings in this exhibition depict love, affection, pleasure, hope and various personal bonds in human life. |
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