Nature seen through an artist’s sentiment

Thamara Damayanthi will hold an exhibition of her water colour paintings entitled “Thisoba” at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, Colombo 7 from August 12-14. R. S. Karunaratne will open the exhibition at 10 a.m. on August 12.

The term “Thisoba”, as explained by the artist, is the short form of “Athi-Soba” which, in vernacular usage means “of maximum serenity.” This is her second exhibition under the same title.

Majority of the paintings in this exhibition are translations into water-colour idiom, of the scenic beauty of Sri Lanka’s landscapes. When I happened to see some of her latest studies in her favourite medium, water-colour, I at once recollected the following statement made by Mathew Arnold, a leading critic on the subject.

It was Mathew Arnold who said “Art is nature seen through sentiment.” As this statement is closely related to Thamara’s attempts at capturing nature, I feel, I should start my comment with a brief reference to this saying.

Truth

That “Art is nature seen through sentiment’ is one among many other redefinitions associated with the word art. It does express an important truth. It clarifies the visible world captured by the camera and that conceived by an artist.

The camera quite mechanically makes a record of what is in front of the lens. It has no mind. It rejects nothing; nor does it add anything. Its vision is impersonal. Of course to some extent, the creativeness of the person who manipulates the camera, may have some impact upon what he produces.

Through control of light and shade or through positioning of the instrument and if possible the model, he may be able to bring about a certain degree of strangeness to his subject.

In the care of an artist the process is quite different. The subject which he expresses is the outcome of the projectioning of several of his individual experiences.

His intellectual capacity, his emotional and spiritual relationship with the subject, his perceptual awareness of the visible world, his aesthetic experiences, his understanding of the behaviour of the medium, his social attitudes are equally responsible for what he expresses.

In this process he rejects what is unwanted; he adds what he thinks essential; he makes meaningful distortions wherever necessary in the interest of the aesthetic appeal and the expressive quality of his subject. Apart from all these his main concern is to realize the subject in terms of the medium with which he works.

As anybody will notice, what predominates Thamara’s landscape studies is what is laid down in this last statement above - to realize the subject in terms of the medium. Apart from this one will notice how she has rejected the unwanted.

Also one will notice, how she maintains maximum expression through utmost economy of brush work. As the very title indicates, the serenity maintained by the masterly handling of watercolour as a transparent medium is worthy of mention.

The natural behaviour of the water-bound pigments is meaningfully improvised to enhance the visual reality of objects far and near. Both wet-on-wet and dry-brush techniques are attempted at, with sureness.

Rural environment

Among her subjects, majority are selected from rural environment. They include studies of skies and landscapes subject to seasonal changes, rocky sites, water, clusters of trees, religious edifices, dwellings of the villagers by dusty pathways, often haunted by domestic animals such as cattle and shadowed by green foliage. There are also scenes depicting villagers engaged in various activities related to their daily living.

All these she portrays with a deep sense of love and sympathy for the country where she was born and bred. In other words it is nothing less than nature seen through sentiment. I hope this will be an inspiration to students of art who like to paint in watercolour.

K. M. A. Bandara

Visiting Lecturer

Institute of Aesthetic Studies

University of Kelaniya

..................................

<< Artscope Main Page