Art reflects the ugly, as much as it does of beauty. And when beauty is subverted, one cannot help but question its fatal attraction. Or perhaps, the deadly lure is devised to awaken our minds to alternative spheres of mysticism and memory – arousing our curiosities. To subvert, is one of art’s most captivating characteristic,…
Barbara Sansoni’s creative vision is a celebration of beauty and vitality, enhanced and depicted to reflect the multi-dimensional characteristics of her perspectives and observations. Each of the eminent artist’s endeavours are intrinsically attentive to the heritage of the nation and its community. As Barbara practiced her own artistic endeavours, she paved ways to share the…
The immaculate artistry of Lionel Wendt is a celebration of the ordinary aspects of life, elevated and dissected to exhibit their natural beauty through the use of innovative photography techniques. His acclaim stemmed from his blending of the modern and the traditional, the picturesque yet reflective. His legacy lives on in the public and private…
Barbara Sansoni’s dynamic creative pursuits across her drawings from her beautiful buildings to the rhapsody enveloped upon facial features of geometric finesse are fascinating. She presents a truly enchanting introspection to the omnipresence of beauty and vitality, which inevitably reflect the ingenious aptitude of her artistic quests. In unearthing the artist’s esoteric for the special…
Ronald Lewcock, husband of Barbara Sansoni is an honorary professor in architecture who met Barbara during his sabbatical from the 1968 to ’69 to explore European Colonial Architecture in Asia. He had also seen Barbara’s drawings in the Architectural Review of February 1966, of which the artist’s multi disciplinary works from traditional buildings to simple…
Barbara Sansoni’s drawings comprised that of traditional buildings. Distressed by the demolition of old buildings in the name of growth and expansion, Barbara Sansoni took the initiative to draw these buildings in an attempt to archive them. She developed this ardent passion for beautiful architecture as she grew up amidst varying places in Ceylon including…
Of primitive carvings and primordial temples, ancient traditions and lost lifestyles, Ameena Hussein’s rediscovering of Sri Lanka as she retraces Ibn Battuta’s 14th century steps as a modern-day traveller unveils truths, long forgotten. What does it mean to perceive the bygone era in today’s context? In conversation with the esteemed author on her most recent…
Film director Vimukthi Jayasundara’s films are entrenched in ideologies that lurk in the concept of idealistic beings and abstract forms of creatures toeing the line between spirituality, fantasy and the supernatural. The filmmaker, critic and visual artist whose journey began in the arts in search of answers to human experience, persistently saw beyond the surface…
The nuances of cinematography in symbolizing diverse perspectives celebrate the artistry of its subject, that which encapsulate in moving images, sound and music, beauty and wonder, tragedy and humour, love and war. Bonjour Cinéma, in these regards is a remarkable experience of culture, and film of which ARTRA is proud to partner with the Embassy…
Udayshanth Fernando Collection, Colombo Growing, 1900-1924 Lionel Wendt was born into a prominent Dutch Burgher family, the son of Henry Lorenz Wendt (1858-1911), a Supreme Court Judge, and Amelia de Saram (1875-1918). He grew up in ‘Went(!)worth’, a large house in Guilford Crescent, and was educated at St. Thomas’s School in Mount Lavinia. In 1919…
Spotty collection, Battaramulla The Lionel Wendt Arts Centre is built on the grounds of Lionel Wendt’s home, Alborada and within its foundations, he buried, a copper casket, which to quote his words, “contains this writing, for a symbol of my loves and my desires that are bound up in the house that will with good…
Behind the lenses of monochromatic images, and behind the rumors and acclaim, who was Lionel Wendt? In her essay \”Rediscovering Lionel Wendt\” (1996), Manel Fonseka states that throughout the nineteen thirties and forties, Wendt was a staunch defender of the modern movement, by writing, giving occasional public talks, organizing exhibitions and encouraging and patronizing the…
Lionel Wendt was an artist of prolific significance contributing to the discourse of essentially black and white photography as a genre infused with a Sri Lankan consciousness. What it meant in the larger context of the nation’s artistic personality is an imprint of artist’s style and essence. Lionel Wendt’s fervent and passionate contribution to Sri…
Lionel Wendt (1900 – 1944) is one of Sri Lanka’s foremost Modernist legacies, whose timeless works of art reveal a valiant imagination, reflecting the splendour immersed in the ordinary. His photographs, in my opinion, reflect unequivocally the allure of the human spirit, the beauty of the human form and the magnificence of Sri Lanka’s heritage….
By Azara Jaleel Ismeth Raheem, 1990, Painting on Door Panel, Raheem Collection, Colombo Ismeth Raheem’s portfolio of drawings, paintings and etchings is emblematic of a symbiosis, intersecting art and design. When approaching the works of the artist, architect and art historian, it is notable that its nucleus stems from his practice at Edwards, Reid and…
Written by Kavinu Cooray & Edited by Azara Jaleel Ismeth Raheem, 1980, Negombo Fishermen, Raheem Collection, Colombo Born on 18 October 1941 to M.M.A. Raheem and Ayesha Raheem from the Jaffna Peninsula, Ismeth Raheem was raised with his eight siblings in Hulftsdorp, amidst the rambunctious bustle of Colombo, and later in their family home in…
By Prof. David Robson Ismeth Raheem, 2023, Central Courtyard of Cinnamon Lodge, Raheem Collection, Colombo One evening, early in 1971, my wife and I returned home to our bungalow in Colombo’s Charles Place to find a sheet of paper pinned to the front door. It was a wood-block print of a highly stylised owl measuring…
In conversation with Dinarzarde Raheem Much of Ismeth Raheem’s work is coloured by his enduring fascination with the natural world. From indigenous Sri Lankan plant life rendered in ink to the feathered plumage of birds painted with ornithological precision, his creative exploration of the wild has over the years encompassed a profound appreciation for Sri…
In Conversation with Michael Anthonisz Await full article. 1st February, 2022 Visual Art | Paintings
In conversation with Mirak Raheem Ismeth Raheem in addition to being an accomplished Architect, Artist and Art Historian, has written a canon of essays and critiques published across newspapers, catalogues, journals and significant publications within a wide range of disciplines from the history of Sri Lanka through art, architecture, archaeology and photography to research publications…