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his own path This time around Kushan Manjusri is surfacing because he has an exhibition planned. Unlike other artists who show their work on a regular basis, Kushan's exhibitions are rare events. "Once in ten years," he says smiling. His forthcoming exhibition will be held at the Harold Pieris Gallery of the Lionel Wendt from June 11-13 on the insistence of some of his friends. Not that there isn't a demand for his work. His murals adorn the main entrance hall of the Parliament at Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte and visitors to Temple Trees may also recall his paintings there. But passionate
to the point of abstraction, Kushan has spent the past years working
on a monumental project-that of recording all wood and stone carvings
in the country. When the project was finally finished after 11 long years, he realized the need to document all of the work of the master sculptors and artists of yesteryear. "When you copy these stone carvings you can go to the heart, the very essence of the artist," he explains. And so began the mighty challenge of recording our artistic heritage from the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa right through to the Kandyan periods. "Except for Ananda Coomaraswamy's book Traditional Sinhalese Art, in recent times there has been no volume that contains all traditional designs. I would like to publish a series of books so that this wealth is available to the public," he says. What pains him deeply is that the majority of artists today though not lacking in talent or creative impulse are content to follow Western tradition without drawing on the country's own rich artistic traditions. "Walk into any Sri Lankan home today and though there is lip service to culture, all you will see are representations of Western symbols and Bollywood pinups," he says. "People are not aware of or even open to the idea of using our own designs and patterns found so abundantly in the work of master craftsmen of yore in their everyday life and surroundings." He shows us a design taken from the steps of the Vishnu devale, done in bright green, red and yellow. These aren't
the original colours but he believes in making people see it afresh. The link with the past is ever present in his life. In his Anderson flat home, he is surrounded by artist's paraphernalia, and delving into a bowl brings out a symbol of the past- a 'Draughtman's Brick Red Winsor and Newton dry colour cake, used by his father L.T.P. Manjusri. Manjusri pere was a founder member of the '43 Group and renowned for his contribution to the artistic traditions of the country, especially Buddhist art. He tried, says Kushan to get the same paints today but was told the company had wound up about 30 years ago. Like his father, Kushan spent some years as a Buddhist monk before leaving robes to pursue his artistic inclinations. Retreating into an ascetic's life is not difficult for him and these are periods he enjoys tremendously, scouring the countryside for hidden caves and crumbling dagobas to record the work of their creators. "You need a long nose," he laughs, to sniff out such 'treasures' and of course, the help of village trackers who know that you go with good intentions, to record such treasures for posterity and not to plunder. Paintings are like old friends for Kushan for he spends long periods on them, preferring to work on several at a time, rather than churn them out in quick succession. At the exhibition will be works from different periods in his life. Not a huge collection but certainly worth checking out for their distinctive style. Magic
of old favourites Directed by Ruwani Seimon, the concert will feature many old favourites from musicals like the Sound of Music, Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat and Pocahontas amongst others. The concert will have a good combination of group and solo numbers - those needing special mention are 'Killing me softly’, done unaccompanied in four part harmony, 'Something Stupid’, 'Cabaret' and a couple of popular ones from Walt Disney's Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, besides the all-time favourites of Abba. The cast comprising
72 members from the age group of 11-18 have been hard at work since
March, all through the long holidays. Ruwani got the students together
for nine four-hour practices. "That really helped us to get
the show ready," she explains, adding that during school days
they had only the ½ hour intervals to practise in. While Ruwani
will provide the accompaniment for the solo items, a four-piece
band comprising Billy Fernando (Base guitar), Kevin Baduge (Drums),
Kamalini Samarakoon (Piano) and Mahesh Denipitiya (Keyboard) will
do the group numbers. Hanging mikes will be used to pick up the voices of the dancers/singers throughout the show. Nadeeni Perera and Dilini Perera of year 12 have participated in many of the previous productions and have been more involved than others in putting this show on the road. "Dancing and singing at the same time is tough and needs a lot of concentration," Nadeeni laughs adding that it had become easier with practice. With just ten days to go for the show, the cast who have obviously been having fun are having mixed feelings. "We are both nervous and excited," Dilini says. As usual Ruwani has put in all she has towards the production. Sounding hoarse, she says that she has no voice left. This year's production has 25 brand new choristers who are dancing and singing for the first time. "They are a very talented group of girls and I will not accept no for an answer - it is that trust that makes them want to give it back." Reviving
memories of those grand musicals The occasion? The musical movie ‘Chicago' had come to town! With the demise of musical greats like Stanley Donan, Vincent Minnelli, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly it was a foregone conclusion that the Hollywood musical was more or less dead. But 'Chicago' in a way has given us hopes of its revival. 'Chicago' is the first musical since 'Oliver' in 1968 to win the Academy Awards best picture award. There were, of course, others that received this coveted prize before like 'An American in Paris', 'West Side Story', 'My Fair Lady' and 'Cabaret' to my recollection. The movie is set in the Chicago of the 'Roaring twenties' which Sidney Sheldon described as a 'dynamic giant, crude, and without manners'. Based on a Broadway musical by Bob Fosse (who directed 'Cabaret' and also made that Cannes festival winner, the stunning 'All That Jazz) Chicago tells the story of a smiling, avaricious lawyer who has never lost a murder case and two murderesses of the Chicago jazz scene. It's a treat to watch it from the very start. The jazzy music with its reverberating sound and its dazzling dance sequences particularly the near acrobatic wizardry of Catherine Zeta-Jones (best supporting actress winner) is spellbinding. The masterly film editing clipping from scene to scene gives depth to the narrative. One sad note however, was Renee Zellweger losing the best actress award. The most extraordinary thing is it took more than 25 years to make this movie, hiring and firing many writers, directors, actors and actresses along the way! It was an altogether
satisfying experience, a poignant reminder of those classic musicals
of the great Hollywood Studio era. That's for us veterans but it
would also show the younger generation how good movies are made
- musicals, of course. -Asoka Weerakoon |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
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By
Renuka Sadanandan
