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| Wednesday, 22 September 2004 |
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Gunasiri Kolombage Artist international by Kalakeerthi Edwin Ariyadasa Gunasiri Kolombage will hold an exhibition of his paintings at the Fingara Complex, Old Kesbewa Road, Rattanapitiya, Boralesgamuwa shortly. His last name is Kolombage. In an approximate English rendering it reads. "Home in Colombo". Despite the geographical limitation placed by the appellation he inherited at birth, artist Gunasiri Kolombage is very much at home in any place in the world, where art is viewed, discussed, appreciated, esteemed and lived.
His works have been displayed in many countries and major cities around the world, making him pre-eminently fit for the sobriquet "Artist International". In contrast to many a reputation in the field of art, he made his entry into his chosen profession, at a point near the peak. In the very year he graduated from the Government College of Fine Arts he won the second prize and three consolation prizes at the Shell painting competition. Upward journey From there on, it has been a steady upward journey scaling many a height, adding achievement after achievement to his professional career.
As he progresses towards the replacing of the literal reality with a more subtle form of abstract expressionism, shapes and images tend to blur into an unidentifiable amorphous mass of hues and shades. But, as is quite vividly seen at the current display of his works, these seemingly inert blobs, begin to throb with a life of their own. Staple presence Although the staple presence, in this exhibition, is that of the canvases conveying abstract touches of perception, erections from the early phase of realism, continue to linger. These form a kind of link between the past and the present, imperceptibly bridging the two levels into a single continuum. The work titled "Nude Recumbent," belongs emphatically in the period of creative realism. This kind of work can communicate a palpable meaning, making it unnecessary for a viewer to wrestle much with it, in order to wring out its significance. On the other hand, most other canvases on display, cannot be adequately dealt with, through passive viewing alone. The viewer is invited to enter into it actively and to be part of it to experience what it can communicate to him. Identity The title of a canvas in this instance is not a precise sign-pose to what it portrays. It is only an approach towards giving the canvas an identity. Artist Gunasiri Kolombage's endeavour here is to get each viewer to 'read' the canvas in his own way and to come to terms with it through a personal approach. Motif When the subject-matter of a given piece of art is not clearly defined,
it is the maturity of the artist that determines its balanced
completeness. All the abstract works Gunasiri Kolombage presents, possess
that unmistakable quality of high art, which communicates, although at
first, you may not fully understand it in all its details. Most of his new
canvases, "Throbbing City," "Turmoil" "Green
Gestation" - to name only a few, are living, vocal and articulate
colour. Female form dominates several of his canvases. Though, in most instances they are only vaguely delineated, the figures become discernible as they form the main motifs of the painting. The sense of flight represented by the canvas titled "Crossing the Air," seems very much a personification of the wind itself. While each canvas offers its own specific brand of deep pleasure, the display, taken as a whole conveys the delightful news, that artist Gunasiri Kolombage has attained the upper reaches of individualistic creativity. His works constitute a training in viewing and understanding art even for the most mature of art lovers. He manages and organizes his colours. He shapes them and makes them speak - all this, with a keen eye to artistic balance and synthesis. The most crucial question that his current art raises is, where will he be moving forward once he gets over his present phase of abstract expressionism? I can visualize a future, in which artist Gunasiri Kolombage rids himself of the burden of concrete shapes and colours, to escape into an ethereal reality of unmodulated vistas of subtle hues. For an artist of his calibre, the process of development implies the jettisoning of flotsam and jetsam and concentrating strictly on the essentials. When this process of development overwhelms him, the viewers will be in for other surprises, which will be deeply moving. Process of development His exhibition will be held in the Fingara Complex at Old Kesbewa Road, Rattanapitiya, Boralesgamuwa.One can dote a growing tendency to move into fresh venues of exhibition, away from the familiar sites for such displays, in the city of Colombo. The pilgrimage to Fingara complex, is undoubtedly. Worthwhile when you consider the art treasures awaiting you at the end of the trek. **** Back **** |
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Produced by Lake House |
In the early phase of his creative evolution, discipline was a key
factor. Called upon to utilize art as commercial message, he learnt at
this initial stage, the technique of imparting to his brush, the unerring
skill to identify the telling proposition in any given concept. Evolving
into an individual artist, communicating states of subjective experiencing
through his canvases, Gunasiri Kolombage, elevated his marked realism to
the level of an aesthetic perception.
