Abstract expressions
Jayanthi LIYANAGE
 Recently
Leo Burnett Solutions Inc. (LBSI) launched a new season of Leo Art at
the Quadrangle of its office premises. The season features five young
artists J. C. Rathnayake, Vishwajith Yashera, Vimukthi Sahan, Sanjaya
Senavirathna and Pramith Geekiyanage and sculptor Sathyajith Ranganatha.
The six are graduates and undergraduates of Visual and Performing
Arts University.
"We select artistes with talent, work with them to develop their own
style and bring them here to give them exposure," Leo Burnett Inc.
Managing Director Ranil de Silva explained the procedure of commencing
an art season.
"Every 2-3 months, we have a season. We invite people to previews and
private viewings and expose the artists to the media so that they are
able to access the market. Each artist will be seen by a large audience
and they can develop for themselves a resource base." J.C. Rathnayake
reflects his love of the moon in his abstract art expressions.
He participated in a number of group exhibitions including Mona
Bismarck Foundation of France, Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, George Keyt
Foundation and State Art and Sculpture Festival organized by the
Cultural Affairs Department. At this festival in 2005 he won the first
prize in Print making and in 2003, the third prize in Mixed Media.
His work is displayed at Thomas Munk Private Collections of Denmark,
Paradise Road Gallery, Fortress of Sri Lanka and private collections in
England, Germany, America, Canada, India and Pakistan. Vishwajith
Yashera has a passion for mixed media pieces. His work has been shown in
Colombo group exhibitions including those hosted by the National Art
Gallery and the Dutch Burgher Union.
Sathjajith Ranganatha, the sculptor, says that he loves the human
form and its different moods. He won the award "Best Sculptor" at State
Art Festival, "Best Sculpture Artist" from Bellechi Company and
"Extraordinary Student Certificate" from the Antiquities Replica Centre.
His work includes a 6ft Buddha Statue and Garden Project in Rantembe, a
Samadhi Buddha statue for the Japana Sakamani International Buddhist
Centre and a replica of the Aukana Buddha Statue at the Sri Lanka High
Commission in India.
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Sculptor Sathyajith Ranganatha |
J.C. Rathnayake |
Vimukthi Sahan |
Vishwajith Yashera |
Vimukthi Sahan, an abstract artiste, has chosen "happiness" as his
theme and use "lips" to portray happiness. He participated in "Sri
Lankan Art" exhibition in London and "Art Colombo" at Anilana Resort,
Sri Lanka and "DBU Art" exhibition and CBA Building.
Sanjaya Senavirathna was acclaimed the Young Artist of the Year by
Geroge Keyt Foundation in 2006. His solo exhibitions were "Beauty of
Love" at Paradise Road Gallery and "The Gate" at Lionel Wendt Art
Gallery.
Pramith Geekiyanage won the third prize at Young contemporaries
Visual Art Exhibition. His solo exhibition, under the theme "Myself",
was held at Paradise Road Gallery. Leo Art is open to the public from 10
am on all seven days of the week. The current season is expected to
continue until mid-April.
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Mode of Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, colour and line to
create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from
visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the
Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the
logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible
reality.
The arts of cultures other than the European had become accessible
and showed alternative ways of describing visual experience to the
artist.
By the end of the 19th century many artists felt a need to create a
new kind of art which would encompass the fundamental changes taking
place in technology, science and philosophy. |
