The artist who found peace in his canvas
Strong jagged charcoal strokes create the arch of her foot and seamlessly melt into the smooth satin of her shoes. A recognized name in art circles for capturing Sri Lankan smiles and landscapes from forgotten eras, Jayantha Silva’s newest paintings and drawings have a few surprises. Compressing the beauty and strength of ballet into a rendition of a dancer’s feet his ability to tell stories through pictures has been one he always recalls having.
Jayantha’s talent was evident even in his pre grade-school days. His nursery report cards had words of praise from his art teachers, though they did include the comment that it, “would be nice if he drew on paper.” It is this passion and ability for art that got him noticed throughout his school life. Winning a scholarship when he was 12 to study art under Mudliyar Amarasekara, he remembers not making full use of the opportunity. The strong willed 12-year-old that he was, he felt art could not be taught. He feels now that perhaps a few classes would have been beneficial- “maybe I should have gone for more than just two classes.”
Exhibitions are an annual routine for the self-taught figurative artist. Not receiving a formal art education he says, “everything I do is an experiment”. But with ten successful exhibitions in the past, he feels it is good fortune that all his experiments thus far have worked in his favour.
“I go into acceleration two months before an exhibition,” he says, adding that he paints only when absolutely no one is around- “I can’t work when I can see or feel people.” The wee hours of the morning generally find him deep in thought among his canvases. Nothing can in his opinion
Jayantha Silva
beat “the feeling of achievement you get when a piece is done.” Going into a completely different state of mind, it is this feeling that encouraged him to fight his way out of dark days.
“You see, I was officially depressed” he shares. For about 20 years after leaving school Jayantha didn’t pick up a paint brush. Engrossed in the world of advertising, his chosen career, it was a firm resolve to do what he loved that helped him claw his way out of depression. “ I thought I must go back to what I really love” and in the silent company of the canvases he has found peace and fulfilment.
Jayantha Silva’s latest exhibition will be at the Lionel Wendt from September 20-21 from 10:30 a.m. onwards.