From impulse to perfection
Septuagenarian holds his first solo exhibition:
Aravinda HETTIARACHCHI
Mervin Mendis is a simple man with a simple
way of life. He attempts to expose feelings with his first solo
exhibition 'Human Figure, Images of Culture and Beauty'.
The exhibition will be held from March 15 to
18. What is so special about this exhibition is painter's age. Mendis is
72.
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Habarana
lake |
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Rock bridge |
Isn't it uncommon that you launch the first solo exhibition at this
age?
Age doesn't matter. I paint for my own pleasure. I think I would have
definitely done better with energetic impulse, reflex and technical
perfection if I have been engaged in painting since my childhood. Yet I
had to busy myself as a government servant for living. Only after
retirement I came back to my passion again for the sake of doing
something in my 50s. I didn't have any challenge as I do it for my own
pleasure.
I started capturing sketches wherever I go. Some places are
impossible due to inconvenience of carrying my instruments. I didn't
drop the habit of capturing pictures into my mind though I stopped
painting in young age. Today I imagine within my own self to paint those
lost pictures in life. I could draw places similar as I saw years ago.
Art is not born in your fingertips but in your soul. Eye is the best
camera that collects things to do it.
My teacher Mudaliyar A C J S Amarasekara allowed me to study free of
charge. He said you cannot succeed without drawing a true figure. A
painting won't appear a good work without its proper drawing. Thus you
cannot be a painter by imitating. Aukana Stupa is a masterpiece.
You can see similar attempts of recreating it in a lot of places. Yet
all of them became failures for losing the perfection of the original.
Its creator must be a genius. You cannot overcome geniuses.
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Piduruthulagala hill |
Thus I learned the basics, studied the world class painters such as
Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso and Rafael. I could develop my
own technique.
Do you follow a specific style, especially while you paint outdoor
scenarios?
I simply try to sketch what I see. I am not imitating anybody. I read
a lot and study various paintings of old masters. I found that after the
modern paintings, art has been degenerated and disintegrated, and it
could not produce any artistic value.
Thereafter you became incapable of understanding a painting. I
completely disagree with 'modern art'. In 'modern art', people draw
random and unrelated objects or just colors and call them art.
Picasso was a brilliant academic painter who could draw extremely
well. Yet later he occupied in this modern art and walk off to the
extremes. He himself said that "the more the critics didn't understand
me the more they praise me." And all cannot be Picasso's without the
capacity of drawing a realistic painting. Thus technique of doing a
realistic painting is the most valuable part in art. Why should you go
behind modern art of distorted pictures while there is a proper way of
expressing yourself?
What is the background you have developed for your technical
capabilities?
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Timid girl |
Mudaliyar Amarasekara let us do mistakes while we draw specific
sketches in his class. Mudaliyar goes around and corrects us.
He inspired me by correcting my own mistakes and revealed me the
techniques. Basic techniques are same anywhere. Paintings in ancient
Ajanta, Ellora or in classical Europe have similar perfectionism.
These artists rarely learned in classes. Art can be taught only to a
certain limit to sharpen skills. Human experience is the best practice.
Painting is a matter of simply adding colours with the acquaintance
of anatomy of objects. You must know the exact place of beauty of a
particular anatomy and should inflate and surface it through art.
Do you maintain a specific philosophy or ideology within your
paintings or life?
I am a simple man with simple habits. Ideology builds up while
drawing the painting. I don't have any specific chosen approach.
Everything happens within what I imagine.
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