Styles of perception: the paintings of Suwanitha Senanayake

The Senanayake house if full of old family photographs and several colourful paintings. These last were in a range of styles, and I was amazed to discover that they were the work of Suwanitha Senanayake, yet another descendant in her own right of the family that sprang to prominence in the early years of the last century.

She has now finally decided to have an Exhibition, after over 40 years, though her pictures have been seen in public in between at group Exhibitions. This one is timely, for she has ventured far beyond her earlier work as to both style and subject matter. She has had no training, except for a year in childhood with Cora Abraham, when a picture of hers won a competition and appeared on the cover of a school book. And then, when her son went to Latifa Ismail, she tagged along and received some guidance which held her in good stead when her individuality developed.

Last year I was struck when she provided the illustrations for her son Vasantha’s first book of poetry, Transcending Sita. The ethereal quality of those pictures was repeated for his latest collection of poetry Daughters of the Dervish, and some of the originals are on display at the Exhibition. In stark contrast to these are the windswept landscapes, in one of which a church lurks, the one at Bogowantalawa where Julia Cameron is buried.

Then there are collages, where materials are added to the oil painting below, a striking study of cranes for instance entitled ‘Togetherness’ and ‘Lifestyles’ which presents a village scene with flat figures against a graded backdrop of roofs and walls and a startling tree.

The portraits are also striking. ‘Tortured soul’ which features in her son’s first epic poem contrasts with ‘Kandyan Lady’ resplendent in piled on jewellery with sets off a sharp profile. And again very different is ‘Women in Blue’, where the sinuous curves emphasize unrestrained femininity.

In these difficult days one appreciates the tranquility art can provide and this in their different ways the various subjects provide in abundance. The pictures will be on display at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery for three days from November 2nd.

Rajiva Wijesinha