Untitled Document

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Jolting power of starkness and sombreness
Living in a world that is devoid of colour, in the traditional sense, could be a daunting prospect for some. But finding fulfilment, equilibrium, a sense of calm, and realizing it is where you want to be, is eventually what matters.

Saskia Pintelon-Pringiers is a Belgian-born, long-term resident of Sri Lanka. Charming Saskia with her winsome smile and expressive eyes in a face framed by titian hair, is also a peerless, stand-alone artist, whose works are sought after by connoisseurs across the world.

Paradise Road Galleries which played host to Saskia's successful showings on two previous occasions is once again the venue for another exhibition of Saskia's works in Colombo from May 30 to June 13.

Saskia's works are "inspired by life" - as she puts it. "It is like writing a diary. They are accounts of everyday happenings".

An artist who always knew she wanted to be one, she went through the rituals of attending art school in Belgium. Her uniqueness stood out there and she was retained by the school as a lecturer. Yet Saskia rebelled against all established norms of art discipline because she did not believe that students had to be forced into seeing things in a certain manner.

For sometime after that, Saskia painted in colour, but her true artistic persona was struggling to break free. Eventually, she accepted that she preferred to paint in the palette she was most comfortable with - the unobtrusive, restrained and subdued palette of her own seeking. The dominant forces were grey, black, brown and the in-betweens. Saskia's sheer mastery in juggling these hues around heralded the true genius of this unique woman.

Saskia's works are sometimes unusually large and sometimes consist of several smaller works pieced together in patchwork form. Both styles convey an electrifying sensation to the viewer. In their very sombreness, they speak louder than a rainbow hued statement, in their sparseness, they titillate the senses more than the most detailed drawings and in their deep and profound themes, they jostle the viewer into looking at life through the artist's own eyes.

Other themes, like antique furniture, old photographs, juxtaposed with modern implements forge the glorious past together with the hectic present. Saskia includes everyday items - like hand-written grocery bills. Some of her paintings are subtly but ever so beautifully sensuous. She depicts physical love between a man and a woman in a calm and hushed manner.

An exhibition of Saskia Pintelon-Pringier's works is now on at Paradise Road Galleries, and will continue till June 12 from 10 a.m. till midnight daily.

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