Iromie sees through varied feminine moods
Ruwini Jayawardana
Capturing moods of women is no easy task but that is exactly what
seasoned artist Iromie Wijewardena had managed in her 14th exhibition of
paintings which will be held at the Harold Peiris Gallery, Lionel Wendt
on July 21 and 22.
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Some of Iromie’s works which will be on
display at the exhibition |
 Having
mastered the art at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, Kelaniya
University, Iromie had sharpened her skills by studying at Wilson
College, USA. She graduated on the subjects of paintings, textile
designing and printing at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, Kelaniya
University before taking up teaching.
Iromie has many accolades to her name including the Zonta award for
'Woman of Achievement' for Fine Arts and Designing. She showcased her
work to the public for the first time at a solo exhibition at the Lionel
Wendt Gallery in 1973. She had also displayed her work in international
exhibitions in countries like Germany, USA, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Japan,
India, Cuba, Korea, France, China, Singapore and UK.
Her latest exhibition will showcase profiles of women from many walks
of life engaged in diverse vocations that depict their inner beauty and
strength. She served under the Ceylon Society of Arts Executive
Committee, the painting and sculpture panel of the Arts Council of Sri
Lanka, Cultural Affairs Ministry and even was part of the jury at a
number of art competitions.
One of the highlights of her career was when she represented Sri
Lanka at the 'Atelier' of the International; Artists of Non-Aligned
countries. The exhibition was held at the Josip Broz Tito Gallery,
Yugoslavia. Her painting, 'The Royal Procession', was selected to adorn
an eight Dinar postage stamp by the Yugoslavian Government among four
other traditional series on the theme art within the cycle 'Works of
Foreign Artists in Museums and Galleries of Yugoslavia'. The stamp was
released in December 2, 1985.
Another of her paintings, 'Devotees', was selected for permanent
display at the Lyudmila Zhivkova International Foundation Art Gallery,
Sofia, Bulgaria. Her paintings are a part of the Presidential collection
and one of her paintings was gifted by the President to India in 2001.
In 2002 she was invited to take part in the SAARC Artist meet held in
New Delhi, India, where her work enchanted many art lovers. She was
elected as the chairperson of the jury panel of the 12th Asian Art
Beinnale, Dhakka, Bangladesh. Her book, Iromie Wijewardena Painting was
published in 2006. |
