Study in motion
I’ve always believed that to be a painter you need to have courage. To be able to express yourself in the media of colour and texture, dimension and scale is no mean feat. To take a blank canvas and divulge on it your interpretation of the world, for all to see, is not for the faint-hearted. In performing such works, you open yourself up to comments and criticism. It is something only childish innocence is allowed to do with abandon. As we get older and realise what a cruel and judgmental world we live in, most of us close the lid on our creativity and put away our crayons and instruments of expression, to pursue ‘grown up’ aspirations that are more acceptable to society. But not the artist.I was reminded of this last month, when I visited the charmingly bijou Gallery FourLife at the bottom of Boteju Road in Thimbirigasaya. If you have never visited this relatively new gallery you really must go.
The Managing Director and Lead Curator Chathuranga Biyagama – an artist himself – has created a serene space where local artists can display interesting works of exceedingly high quality.
The ground floor of the space is reserved for temporary exhibitions, whilst upstairs has a wonderful resident collection from greats like Laki Senanayake and Stanley Kirinde.
But it was the exhibition downstairs by Prageeth Manohansa that reminded me of the courage required to wield a paintbrush. As if acknowledging this artistic bravery himself, Prageeth’s collection of ink paintings of horses, bulls and elephants in motion, had been named after one of the bravest war horses known in history – Bucephalus.
Bucephalus was the much-loved charger of Alexander the Great, ruler of Macedonia, who developed a lifelong bond with this untameable horse who was afraid of its own shadow and could not be ridden. Having overcome its fear, the legendary king and his mount went on to lead many victorious battles with Bucephalus performing feats of bravery that rivalled even the winged mythological horse Pegasus, according to ancient Greek writers. In giving his exhibition such a name it was as though Prageeth understood how great works can emerge from conquering the shadows of fear.
Known as the ‘God of Metal’ amongst his contemporaries, Prageeth is renowned for his assemblage works. Graduating with a BA from Kelaniya University for Sculpture, his innate understanding of dimensional creations is expertly used to bring his paintings to life.
Prageeth’s collection was an interesting study of motion in a style that is rarely seen in the local art scene. The leaping and galloping musculature of the horses, bulls and elephants created through generous sweeps of a black ink brush, show the wild majesty and incredible unleashed power that inhabits these noble creatures.
Prageeth reminds us what it is to look at these unappreciated ‘beasts of burden’ with new eyes and to be in awe of them.
The collection is very different to what we normally see in Sri Lankan art. It reminds me of the ink washes of Xu Beihong, the pioneer of 20th century Chinese art, famed for his traditional works of horses and birds that he masterfully created with just a few brushstrokes to achieve that sense of fluid movement.
Taking just 20 minutes to create each large canvas, Prageeth’s pieces look deceptively simple. Yet anyone who understands art will know this is where the talent of a good artist truly lies.
To be able to create the sweeping arch of a horse’s back as it takes a jump, or the angled low of the neck and head of a charging bull about to toss its horns, with just one brushstroke, needs a confidence and instinct that is almost as animalistic as the subjects being drawn.
Prageeth’s use of those sweeping lines worked especially well on his depictions of elephant god Ganesh whose silent dance across the canvas with arms and trunk uplifted was so joyful, you could almost hear the music that he moved to.
I particularly liked the pieces contemporised with collage-work of newspaper print, that filled in the bodies on certain pieces. It transformed the delicately poised ink lines into a more solidified form. The harsh reality of printed news contrasted with the dance-like sweeps of the brushwork.
It is a shame that I could not preview this exhibition that ended on October 22. I would have certainly recommended a visit. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Prageeth’s work in future and perhaps the chance to compare and contrast his sculptures with his paintwork.
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