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| Wednesday, 03 November 2004 |
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B. Wimalaratne Artist of breathing wood by Kalakeerthi Edwin Ariyadasa Artist and sculptor B. Wimalaratne will present his fourth solo exhibition comprising 35 oil paintings and 30 wooden sculpture at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, Colombo from November 6 to 9. The exhibition will be open from 9.00 a.m. 7.00 p.m. Any significant artist who recognises the compelling need to evolve into higher reaches of creative expression has invariably to traverse an arduous and strenuous path. Such a creative individual indulges in continuous experimenting.
From childhood on artist B. Wimalaratne opted to take the difficult road that led him to the present level of creative achievement. While pursuing a banking career he kept on exploring avenues of realising his childhood dream of becoming an artist. So far, this brief preamble to artist B. Wimalaratne's progress may not sound that unusual. One could very well assert that most artists who have been able to record a measure of success have taken that route. They too were, in most instances, propelled by childhood dreams. But, artist B. Wimalaratne's creative preoccupations took an unorthodox turn. He turned to a material that is not easy to handle - unmalleable wood. His sculptures in wood represent only one aspect of his creative expression. He resorts to conventional paintings as well, producing work that could be characterised as "Abstract Art". His paintings too seem, at times, to have been inspired by shapes that could derive from wood shape that are sculpted with effort, into intricate patterns. 3-D impression In one particular painting, which I would term "probing", the surface is arranged to communicate a three-dimensional impression. This work possesses sensuous implications leading a perceptive viewer to glean an erotic intimation. The seeming tangle of elements that forms the primary content of this piece speaks eloquently of the artist's discipline and his admirable capacity to compose a work with an unerring eye to the essential sense of proportion.
Of his other paintings on display the work that intrigues me most is the piece that possesses a spiritual urge. The prominent motifs in this paintings are symbols that stand for outstanding religious systems. These are superimposed upon a vague, dark background, indicating, perhaps, the gloom that has to be dispelled by the light of spiritual awakening. The clarity with which these religious symbols are depicted, conveys the artist's notion that spirituality is without any doubt the solid counterpoint to the chaos of ignorance. His paintings are an uninhibited experimenting with variegated colour schemes. One cannot help but feel that he is on an unceasing voyage of discovery. In some of these he allows vaguely defined human figures to emerge. It is quite evident that as the artist progresses he will evolve into a perceptible realism slipping off the cocoon of abstract expression.
To my mind his primary creativity is expressed through his wood - sculptures. Wood seems to have challenged him with its hard and unsupple character. Early in his career as artist B. Wimalaratne approached wood as the material through which he would say his creative say. The moment of truth came to him when he was faced with the task of creating a wood-panel capturing the feel of Kandy pageant in this unyielding material. Creative achievement His sculptures in wood establish his adeptness at utilising the texture and the grain of wood. In wood-sculpture imposing an aesthetically satisfying shape on a mass of wood is by itself a considerable creative achievement. Sculptor B. Wimalaratne produces a variety of shapes in wood that begin to stir a satisfying aesthetic sense in the viewer even when the subject - matter of the specific sculpture does not communicate a well-defined meaning. The search for a clearly assimilable meaning is the conventional reaction to art among the generality of viewers.
Most viewers would not be very happy, if they cannot obtain a direct response to the question: "What does sit mean"?" In the instance of Wimalaratne's wood-sculptures what is really essential is to "feel" what the shape could say. Sculptor Wimalaratne exploits the innate grain and the texture of the wood to communicate the gross and the refined. In the sculpture obviously depicting a muscular man, the knotty gnarled texture of the wood is used with impressive effectiveness. The sculpture symbolising mother and child oozes with a feeling of affection and love though the material is insensitive wood. Abstract portrayal His sculpture of the "crucifixion" is an abstract portrayal in wood. It is quite a mature and advanced piece of sculpture that can take its place predominantly in any modern salon.
The sculpture of a hooded grotesque can yield any meaning one would want to impute to it. It may signify terrorism fear or even anxiety. Of all his works a shape that has an overwhelming effect on a viewer is his "woman with Child". The prominence given to her pregnancy and symbols of motherhood to come make this "shape" a remarkable piece of art. Artist B. Wimalaratne hails form Kalegana, a village in the vicinity of Galle. His career is witness to his inner restlessness. He discarded his university education. Later on he gave up his banking profession to throw himself headlong into the field of art which fascinated him from childhood on. He has displayed his art at a series of exhibitions. The unmalleable medium of wood seems to bring out some subconscious, primordial affinity with this living unyielding element. As a wood sculptor he is driven by a sense of adventure or an odyssey of discovery - in contrast to wood sculpture painting may have appeared to him as a more passive means of expressing his inner urges. Wood offers a formidable challenge. Working on it is a source of unending search to find ways to make the hard medium "Live" and at times to make it burst out into visual lyricism. His works indicate that he is still at the threshold of the dawn he yearns for. In consequence, his works breathe a youthful vigour. As he strains towards the upper reaches of creative attainment he sets up landmarks that are intriguing, overwhelming and aesthetically satisfying. **** Back **** |
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