Hues into life

An exhibition paintings by Ranjani de Alwis entitled ‘Rhapsody in Hues’ will be held at the Lionel Wendt on November 3 and 4.

Ranjani started art lessons with Professor Bob Dickerson, a prominent artist and art teacher in Rome. She painted for several years in Rome, held group exhibitions with the United Nations Women’s Guild annually, as well solo exhibitions before she left Italy. She sold many paintings, which today hang in private collections in Italy, France, UK, USA, Canada, Barbados, Kenya, Nigeria, India, Australia and of course, Sri Lanka. On her return to Sri Lanka, she had the good fortune to come under the tutelage of the brilliant Painter and Sculptor, Prof. Sarath Chandrajeeva at the Colombo Academy of Art. She has been painting under his guidance and encouragement for many years and his influence is clearly seen in her more recent works.

Ranjani’s paintings are all in oils on canvas and range from post-impressionist to realist. The outstanding quality of her paintings, spanning a medley of subjects over the years, be it still life, landscapes, nature, urban scenes, or sites in foreign countries, are all typified by the unique colours that are used with such striking effect, yet which blend together so gracefully in what could best be characterized as a Rhapsody in Hues.

Over the years, Ranjani has had to paint right through various interruptions - having to travel frequently, being subject to major illnesses and surgeries, and the obligations of being a grandmother.

Nevertheless, her indomitable spirit has helped her to keep painting through all these vicissitudes. In fact, only recently, when she was painting with her broken left arm in a heavy cast from the hand to her neck (fortunately she is a right-hander), Professor Sarath Chandrajeeva held her up to his class as an example of tenacity and resolve that they should try to emulate.