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| Sunday, 12 June 2005 |
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Exhibition : In their master's footstep
"The picture is not thought out and determined beforehand, rather while it is being made if follows the mobility of thought. Finished, it changes further, according to the conditions of him, who looks at it. At picture lives its life like a living creature, undergoing the changes that daily life imposes upon us. That is natural, since a picture lives only through him, who looks at it." (Conversation with Picasso from Cahiers d'art 1935, quoted in The Creative Process P57). A group of young artists, who have studied painting under world renown artist Jayasiri Semage will hold an exhibition of paintings at the Lionel Wendt Gallery from June 17 to 19. This is the second exhibition of Semage's pupils.
The exhibition comprises more than eighty paintings in acrylic, oils and water colours, depicting Sri Lankan rural life, Buddhist themes and historical sites by seven young artists. All the works of art depict a very close resemblance to their teacher's style and technique. This influence, however, instead of being restrictive, have enriched the creative imagination of the students. They have effectively managed to express their visual images through the language of tradition and technique of their master. Semage, unlike some other artists, was never tutored by any master and does not belong to any school or group. He was born with this special talent, which he has cultivated and experimented with over the years. Semage started art classes in the latter part of the 90s. The idea of his art class, actually, was given to Semage by these students a couple of years ago, after one of his solo exhibitions. He had by then, bagged many international awards and established his name among the art lovers of the world. His paintings were appreciated by art lovers of Sweden, Thailand, Nepal, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia where he held many exhibitions. According to Semage, he accepted the request by these young people, as it opened a 'New Beginning' for him to transmit 'Semage Style' to future generations.
The students have been able to develop and sharpen their own abilities with valuable guidance and leadership received from their master. The student exhibitors include Dylan Perera who has the ability to create a wide range of colour combinations using only a very few main columns, Kavindu Nirupama, the youngest artist in the group with a unique style, where he mixes the traditional with the modern, Kapila Wickramasinghe, a naturalist who tries to see the world through his paintings in different ways, Upul Jayashantha, Srima Shanthilekha, Kamani Perera and Sandya Priyadarshani all of who have creative minds and new ideas. Like poetry, music, literature and even dancing, painting is yet another medium of expressing aesthetic experience. So a successful painter is a poet who can transfer poetic impression into a picture. Semage and his students have such talent which no one can challenge. A poet, will do justice to them if he tries to transfer their paintings to poems. The use of colour by them are also expressive of their own sentiments. The frequent use of subdued and subtle colours depict a non-aggressive and peaceful spirit. Another significant feature of this exhibition is that all those exhibits are very recent creations of Semage's pupils done during past few months. Art, according to Professor Yogi Koichiro is an individual's search for identity. It is the most powerful and at the same time a universal language which reproduces one's grasp and digestion of visual objects under the sun. Therefore, an artist who has a special style implies a unique absorption of reality and an unmatched eloquence. Jayasiri Semage and his students are such artists who has a unique style of paintings. Dylan one of the participants of the exhibition making a short description about his paintings, says 'As a villager, I have collected many picturesque scenes from my childhood. "They are very scenic and beautiful village men and women as well as children lingering in my memory. "Whether they are cultural, religious or social, I have put some of them on my canvas. My art teacher, Semage gives me a very good support to develop my talents and he was always behind me and showed me the correct path to develop my ideas to paintings." The opening ceremony of the exhibition will be held at 6 p.m on June 17 with Speaker, W. J. M. Lokubandara as the chief guest. Former Vice Chancellor of Sri Jayewardenepura University, Chandima Wijebandara, Professor Sunil Ariyaratne and journalist Kalakeerthi Edwin Ariyadasa are expected to speak at the opening. The exhibition will be opened for public on June 18 and 19, from 9.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.
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