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Arts From Bahrain
vistas to Lankan scenes Tissa Hewavitarane,
earned an extensive reputation in Bahrain, as a much publicized
artist. His story is in a way, quite akin to the legend of a Prince
of the Middle-East. The Prince went in search of a sheep that had
strayed from his flock. But, in his search for the lost sheep, he
discovered an entirely new kingdom. In Bahrain,
where he went as a draughtsman, Tissa became fascinated by the allure
of persons and sights of that place. The quaint and archaic buildings,
people going about their routine activities, men practising traditional
arts and crafts, caught the imagination of Tissa, the sensitive
artist. He captured
all these in eloquent water colours.The outcome of all this was
the popularity that Tissa achieved among lovers of art and culture
in that land. Tissa's artistic
expressions extend to the field of caricature as well. He regularly
contributed cartoons to newspapers in Bahrain. Tissa started
painting long before he travelled to Bahrain. He was educated at
S.Thomas College, Mt.Lavinia and took to painting while still a
student. This is his
first exhibition in Sri Lanka in recent times. Brush
with vanishing landmarks During the
past year, Royden has been doing a series of paintings of the old
Dutch forts, temples and other places of historical significance
that have remained untouched such as the old railway shed at Orugodawatte,
the 150-year-old Holy Trinity Church in Nuwara Eliya, the Kosgama
train station and the original Golf Club House in Colombo. "I want
to promote the country," says Royden Gibbs of the exhibition,
his seventh, scheduled to be held at the Indian Cultural Centre
on November 22, 23 and 24 between 10.00 a.m and 7.00 p.m. Scenes
of the river meeting the sea at Unawatuna beach, mists at Horton
Plains, Kitulgala river and coconut estates other than the ancient
forts, will be displayed. One of the
very few artists to have travelled the length and breadth of the
island, Royden hopes through his paintings, "to freeze in time
these places that are vanishing fast. Generations to come will have
something to be proud of." As a child
Royden painted a great deal and learned the rudiments of drawing
and painting from Mudliyar A.C.G.S.Amarasekara. He won several prizes
while at school and from the Society of Arts. He started as a portrait
painter and then switched to landscapes as he discovered his flair
for it. Having worked
in advertising for over 30 years, Royden today is a full time professional
artist. He is commissioned from time to time by hotels, clubs and
private institutions. All the paintings that adorn the Golf Club
are Royden's. His work has been exhibited twice in a Parisian Gallery
and by other private collectors abroad. Royden has
always been fascinated by water colours, his specialisation being
the study of water and clouds. "It is a difficult medium to
master," he says, explaining that the whiteness of paper has
to be maintained and even if there is a small mistakes, the whole
painting would have to be redone. "The beauty of water colours
is that you can achieve transparency," the artist says. However he
uses pastels for paintings of wildlife - elephants, sambhur, leopards
or birds where he attempts to bring out the dramatic effect or the
element of danger that is always present among the different species
in their struggle for survival. This he thinks creates more interest
in a picture. Royden never
works with a photograph. "While painting a picture at the actual
scene, you have the freedom to choose a selection of colours and
your own palette. Further, you can capture movement and experiment
with the time of the day - morning sky, evening shadows, etc. This
is what makes a picture come to life." Even if he
has to use a photograph of perhaps animals, he uses his imagination
to compose the picture, changing the position of legs or movements
of the head, which he has studied during his numerous visits to
the zoo. He uses different techniques for each subject that he has
mastered over the years. Wishing to
share his talents and experiences with others, Roydon now conducts
classes for older childen and adults whom he encourages to work
with nature (outdoors). Time and again, they exclaim about how they
see things differently from what it was earlier, as they set out
to paint. From this he finds great satisfaction. Some of his students
use his style of painting. "It is when they practise more that
they gradually develop a style of their own." "Students
these days don't know what is expected of a good painting. Even
without learning the basics, they take short cuts and go experimenting
with modern art, which they think is the equivalent of jazz. What
they are unaware of is that all jazz musicians are professionals
who after learning the basics have branched into a different way
of expressing themselves. They cannot jump keys." Royden can't say for sure where his next painting trip will be, but he enjoys them tremendously, experiencing the different terrain, and the brush with different people and places. His family eagerly looks forward to his return each time - to listen to the tales behind each picture. Ionesco
in Sinhala Tatta Gayikaava,
an adaptation from the original script in French by Eugene Ionesco,
is a brilliant example of Ionesco's recurrent themes of self estrangement
and the difficulty of communication. In its most famous scene, two strangers exchanging banalities about the weather, where they live, and how many children they have - stumble upon the astonishing discovery that they are indeed man and wife. Kala
Korner by Dee Cee Included in
the collection are a number of cartoons Reggie had drawn in 1949
and 1950 which were published in the Ceylon Observer, the Ceylon
Daily News and the Times of Ceylon. That was the time J. R .Jayewardene
served as Minister of Finance in the D. S. Senanayake Cabinet -
the first in Independent Ceylon. Aubrey Collette was the regular
Observer cartoonist. Reggie's cartoons had appeared in between.
I particularly liked the one drawn by Reggie titled 'Uphill task'
where he shows the Finance Minister lying down on a huge suitcase
with a 'Plan for Prosperity', atop the tax payer on crutches climbing
the cost of living hill. Things appear to have been the same even
over 50-years ago. Collette too
had a field day with the Finance Minister always being in the news
particularly in relation to the cost of living and public servants'
salaries - issues which continue to be hot topics. The collection
covers the then Finance Minister's political life from 1946 (he
was then Member for Kelaniya in the State Council) right up to 1998
when, even after retirement, President J. R. continued to 'haunt'
the political scene. By that time many more cartoonists were on
the scene. In chronological order, Collette who moved over to the
Observer from the Times of Ceylon was virtually succeeded by G.
S.Fernando, S. C. Opatha and Wijesoma at the Times. Then there were
Jiffry Yoonoos (Lake House & 'Aththa'), Mark Gerreyn (Lake House),
Amitha Abeysekera (Island) and Winnie Hettigoda (Island Group &
Lakbima). Wijesoma shifted from the Times to the Observer and then
to the Island and his cartoons in the Island form the bulk of the
collection from 1980s onwards. Political
commentary "The cartoons are ample testimony to the sense of humour that never left President Jayewardene in the ups and downs of his political life. The creative and mind boggling cartoons with a hilarious undertone cover a panoramic view of the bygone era- an era that already absorbed and chiselled an imprint across the political arena of Sri Lanka", says Prematilaka Mapitigama, Secretary General of the Centre in his foreword. Role of women
on screen Anoma Rajakaruna
is a freelance video film-maker who has travelled extensively in
Sri Lanka documenting the lives of communites and, in particular
the lives of women in these communities. Her special
interest has been exploration of multiple roles played by women
in society as well as expectations of women by society. Her films,
some of which have won awards, have been screened at film festivals
around the world. Her most recent Sinhala telefilm, "Suddhi"
was screened in 2000. |
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