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| Wednesday, 18 August 2004 |
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Temple art in the Kandyan kingdom by Derrick Schokman The 18th century Buddhist revival brought about by Velivita Saranankara (Chief Monk) with the patronage of King Kirtisri Rajasinghe (1747-1780) revived religious paintings which had receded into the doldrums following the collapse of the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa civilizations. Village craftsmen or sittaras continued the tradition of mural temple art, but in a different style from the Ajanta - type of paintings of the earlier period. Although Sittara art may be considered less elegant artistically than the Tivanka paintings in Polonnaruwa, they represent a vigorous ornamental folk art that flourished in the Central, Western and Southern portions of the Kandyan kingdom. Jatakas Although stylistically different, the Tivanka and Sittara paintings are thematically/similar in that they have the Jataka tales (previous lives of the Buddha) for subject matter.
The wall surface is divided into narrow horizontal panels, and the major episodes of the Jatakas are painted within in continuous narrative technique with one episode leading on to the other. Legends below describe what the paintings represent. Sittara artists had a limited palette of two basic colours, red and yellow, and an abundance of line. Line work was the Kandyan painters forte. A bold line emphasised the figures, there was no emphasis on volume and no use for perspective; only solid areas of colour with no shades or tones, against which the figures are depicted mostly in the frontal position or profile. Decoration The decorative quality of the paintings is seen in the stylised trees and clouds. The tree motif is the most picturesque with the leaves treated like medallions arranged on the branches. Clouds are represented in rows of undulating looks or as a series of scallops. The decorative quality is best seen in the large ceiling paintings, which are composed of an intricate arrangement of flower and foliage motifs. Examples The lotus is widely used in decoration as stylised petal versions or palapetti in borders and edges, while the full blown flower is used to fill empty spaces.
Some other decorative motifs are the hansaputtuwa and hansacakara. The former depicts four swans joined at the neck in the shape of a Svastika (eastern style), and in the latter five swans are combined to make a revolving wheel. Several examples of Sittara are extent. Some of the best are seen at Degaldoruva, Medavela, Dambulla and the Ridi Vihara. This is not surprising because the best artists would have been in the service of the King at Kandy. The most famous among them was Devaragampola Silvatenne to whom the murals at Degaldoruva and the Ridi Vihara are attributed. The Vessantara Jataka (the most popular in Kandyan painting) at Degaldoruva is outstanding. King Vessantara is seen in full regalia, riding his royal elephant, a massive tusker, surrounded by attendants carrying muthukuda sesath and other ceremonial insignia. It is like a scene from the Kandy Perahera. The ceiling of the Ridi Vihara has a picture of the Buddha engaged in battle with Mara. On an inner wall is a painting of Devas and Brahamins coming forward to worship the Buddha with flowers in their hands. Variation In low-country Sittara paintings, those at the Telvatta, Kelaniya, Ambalangoda viharas, and especially at Mulkirigala are also good. They show some variation from Kandyan painting proper, in that there is a more liberal use of colour, going beyond red and yellow to other colours like green, blue and brown. Human figures Another instance of variation is the way human figures are presented. In contrast to the strict linear progression seen in the Kandyan tradition proper, the figures are shown in more natural postures. Their bodies are also painted in a more pleasing manner than the austere forms in the tradition proper. In the final analysis, it can be said that Sittara art is not a grand display of talent and virtuosity, but rather a refined and dignified folk art serving the religious aspirations of a rural population of mostly farmers. More specifically it was a form of religious edification for the worshippers, teaching them the virtues of Paramita or perfection to a Buddha as depicted in the jatakas, several of which are instances of exemplary social behaviour. **** Back **** |
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