Senarath Bandara Subasinghe:

There's magic in his fingers and beauty in his eyes

A ride to the village would fill one with splendour, with the monster trees covered with huge clusters of crimson blossoms and the ground red with the fallen petals. Then comes groves of coconut palms, many nearly one hundred feet high, loaded with the green fruits. The village lies surrounded by mountains, covered with rich flowering trees. The women clad in cloth and jacket with open necks moved majestically as village beauties with their ever willing smiles; while, the betal-chewing men, hair combed back and tied in a knot and curled upright moustache wore cloth and banian. Nature has done everything to make it so, and art has flowed here, as no where else in Sri Lanka to put the finishing touches to a splendid landscape.

It is in this romantic village called Mihirigama with its rich earth, warm sunshine and a Buddhist aura that Senarath Bandara Subasinghe was born on February 19, 1941. As he had an aptitude for drawing from his early childhood, his father who was attracted by the son's drawings helped him to promote his artistic potential.

Senarath's father, Ukkubandara Subasinghe started a school for the Buddhist Theosophical Society (B.T.S.) named Henepola Buddhist Mixed School in the 1930s where Senarath had his elementary studies, and later on at the Mihirigama Secondary English School where he met Miss Sena Pathiratne, the art teacher who gave him his first art lessons.

Senarath Bandara Subasinghe

After harvest

She made a great impact on the boy and at the age of 14 one of his paintings was selected to be sent to Japan for an art competition named 'Mother' for which he won the second prize. From there onwards he did not look back. Still as a schoolboy he illustrated the poems of Guttila Kawya into pictures and exhibited it in the school which was well received by the public.

To further his studies Senerath joined St. Anne's College, Kurunegala and completed his Advanced Level examination at the Sandalanka Central College. In 1963, he entered the Peradeniya University and passed out with honours in Sinhalese and English and became an instructor in English in the same University.

Here he met two learned men who are excellent painters as well, namely, Dr. Siri Gunasinghe and Prof Ashley Halpe, with whom he had a successful exhibition at the University Arts Council. It is not so much that he is attracted to certain subjects, but he recognises them as occasions for the exercise of his urge. His paintings represent nature, including his experiences deeply rooted in the human behaviour.

Senerath works in a variety of styles and medium. His paintings are technically perfect with full of expressions and sentiments. He has a good sense of colour mixing, his landscapes have a beautiful quality and his brush strokes are crisp, clear, delicate and exquisitely balanced. He spent most of his time turning out colourful outdoor scenes such as 'the Sunset' 'the Sunrise', 'Waterfalls, lush green paddy fields, and pretty village belles in semi-transparent dresses.

There is magic in his fingers and beauty in his eye. Senerath could deliver a lecture about the beauty of the canvases he painted depicting nature, in the same manner that a skilled gem cutter could write a poem about the beauty of the jewels that he cut.

This multifaceted personality has only to take a few steps when the drums begin to beat to know that here is a man born to dance. Senarath learnt Kandyan dancing under the tutelage of the great dance teacher Dr. Panibaratha in 1953. Senarath's artistic interests do not always revolve around painting and dancing. He is a poet and theatre enthusiast who has acted in many teledramas and on stage, a short story writer, and a lyric writer. In 1980 while he was working in Zambia, he produced a play with the locals, in the famous theatre Hall 'Lorenthal theatre in Ndola, Zambia.

Apart from his aesthetic experience Senerath is a consultant on Income Tax, and a registered auditor.