The world of arts:

Segar, the artist of spectacular talent

Gwen HERAT

Many a time it crossed my mind that Segar changed the face of painting in Sri Lanka. His imagery and contrasts of style had that rare artistic development which he continues.

The intensity and temperament leads the viewer towards emotional depth but not without achieving stunning technical effects. In spite of his ambivalent attitude towards the genre, his determination to paint total spectre of figures, is amazing. Though his figures are artistically motivated, he never needed models to produce those stunning figures we see him paint. They are all oriental women and he incorporates what he finds in them; dignity and chastity.

They are garbed not to reveal sexuality but for a few bare midriffs that are synonymous with the saree wearer. No nudes or semi-nudes, at least I never saw them hanging or as exhibits. Though he is possessed by their curves, they remain intact with the figures that are allowed to relate to each other in smooth composition.

Segar has freedom with paint but is no slave to it, yet, he can fall flat on his palette and splash colours without any one to eclipse his signature stamped on his paintings. His combination of shade, line and rhythm are marvellous let alone the final outcome. Segar simply picks up his brush and paint because he needs no inspiration as applies colour very freely, leaving out details and thus avoid precise outlines.

This technique blend long enough to cause figures appear spontaneously. People are often painted with streaks of bold paint that merge together and what Segar has in mind, focus his subject.

Sometimes within the sombre shadows in the background, he cleverly monitors the figures with the Segar stamp. He can go berserk on large and powerful canvases that I have seen in his studio and often reveal the idyllic side of his brush. Segar has the skill to create the imaging effect on a flat surface as much as the figures he illuminates from a point from which the light lights play an important part.

Essentially a figure artist that includes animals and birds, Segar is very prolific in his treatment of them. His careful use of light gives the appearance of solidity which I have often studied and find in very few painters. I mean the ones I have seen in the local scene.

At times, I get mad studying his art which I am unable to comprehend what it is all about because he is not contemporary in its meaning but cubic at times and neither a nature artist. Then what is he?

All rolled into one or a specialist-impressionist. Your guess is as good as mine. But his paintings have a deeper meaning as I keep gazing upon them and find they are not obscene nor immoral. For most part, Segar’s paintings reveal mythology not necessarily Indian or Sri Lankan. The monks are adorable in the flaming robes.

In particular I liked The Stilt Fisherman painted in 2006, oil on canvas. It had a hint of contemporary line as well as a dash of cubism but overall a magnificent creation with subdued light playing on its figure.

Many a time I have found Segar to be irrational when he paints with fantasy only meant for the collector. Oil on canvas-Tea Plucker is yet another beauty. The full-bosomed, doe-eyed, dusky and veiled is painted with the mystique of an Eastern woman.

Applying the logic of perspective to single figures, he creates the illusion of figures closest to the viewer to appear larger and come forward.

Here, lies a part of his greatness. It may be an optical device to help perfect the anatomy in his women. The exciting artistic atmosphere that he creates make one wonder why Segar has failed to reach Christie’s or Sotheby’s. Many of his works are far superior to the ones I have seen in the Indian catalogues that promote them.

Intricately linked with symbolic oriental figures, Segar’s passionate and sensitive art of using brush strokes is the remarkable feature in whatever he paints.

He observes some of his subjects from a distance that suggest space by introducing paler colours as against the dominating arabesque paint he is so used to dabble with. The exotic apparel on women somewhat appear flat due to the absence of shadows and shading which most of the time he avoids.

Take for instance The Esala Perahara done in collage water colour in 1996 which is a glorious testimony to the use of power-packed colour, one blending to the other. Ten years later, I find Segar has moved over to tantalising shades on figure and line.

Watching him in the studio was yet another fascination. I had the opportunity of seeing him paint two studies at the same time, moving from one to another at short intervals and using two palettes, a dozen of brushes at the same time.

With its rich artistic heritage of Sri Lanka especially found in her murals and temple walls, Segar fits into this scenario with the ease of a colossus.

Segar has his exhibits on display in Sydney, London, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kandy, Colombo besides many other major cities around the world.

One of his major career events was his painting being featured on the back cover of the Reader’s Digest in February, 1998.

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