Arts
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| Life's
a mystery, so is his art
The concept of 'brevity of life' incorporated in all of Sanjeewa's works can be seen in his tenth solo exhibition to be held at the Paradise Road Gallery from May 18 to June 8. " My work can be compared to incomplete, unconnected text," says Sanjeewa who is a believer in 'unexplainable art'. His series of oils on canvas titled Uncanny personality seems to justify this. The head of a human and the body of a horse- the centaur of Greek mythology fused with coconuts and anoda fruit in its belly- a work of pulsating red, yellow and blue is one painting which offers no explanation. "My work is unconscious, they offer no particular explanation. There's a secret inner voice which is magical," says the artist. For the layman, however, Sanjeewa's work may seem too complicated to absorb with all its unusual symbols and objects. For instance, his painting 'Silent DJ' that has a man floating in the sea with an ear jutting out of his shoulder blade and a hand from the crown of his head is a colourful piece with contrasting colours, which according to the painter symbolizes the transitional stages of a person's life where silence dominates. "It's hard to understand human nature full of complexities and mysteries. Man cannot be explained, interpreted, there are many personalities living in one body. Just like that my work which seeks to capture this complexity is hard to define," says Sanjeewa. Surrealism - a concept that emerged after the First World War in Europe is reflected in Sanjeewa's work. According to Sanjeewa, this concept was nourished in the aftermath of World War 1, which witnessed the loss of human life on a large scale. "Dictators like Hitler wanted to present themselves to the ordinary man as 'super humans' who could wipe out a race, but he too was powerless before the forces of fate," says Sanjeewa adding that unpredictability of life and strength and weaknesses of man were well highlighted during this era. Sanjeewa also adds that in surrealism, which is a fusion of magic and dreams, what one might think of as an impossibility is still a possibility. His work titled 'One hundred years of love', depicting an angel giving life to the dead seems a fantasy, yet according to Sanjeewa, this can be a reality. "There are things which are beyond science, the unexplained like angels and ghosts, which some have perceived and we cannot challenge their existence," explains Sanjeewa. An interesting feature apparent in most of Sanjeewa's work is the use of indigenous fauna and flora. Kaju puhulan, anoda and Sapatthu mal (hibiscus) seem to be in abundance in his work.
Dancing to a traditional beat "Heli Rangara" will showcase dancer Mohan Sudusinghe, accompanied by Susantha and Prasantha Rupathilake, two exciting young drummers. This will be the talented trio's first performance together. The show will be an exciting presentation of indigenous percussion, dominated by the drums, the beauty of our traditional dances enriched with colourful costumes and lighting. The entire performance will be choreographed and designed by Susantha, Prasantha and Mohan. 19th
century Father of science fiction comes to Finom(g)nal Jules Verne, the highly acclaimed French author of the 19th century is considered to be the father of modern day hard science and science fiction. His tales of adventure featured incredible machines which probed the depths of the oceans and the heights of the moon. He was one of the most popular writers of the 19th century and his works endure today. The reason he continues to be popular is that many of his predictions of the future came true - such as submarines, aircraft, atomic bombs and space ships. Jules Gabriel Verne was born on February 8, 1828, in Nantes, France. His parents were of a seafaring tradition, a factor which influenced his writings. As a boy, Jules Verne ran off to be a cabin boy on a merchant ship, but he was caught and returned to his parents. In 1847 Jules was sent to study law in Paris. While there, however, his passion for the theatre grew. Later in 1850, Jules Verne's first play was published.His father was outraged when he heard that Jules was not going to continue law, so he discontinued the money he was giving him to pay for his expenses in Paris. This forced Verne to make money by selling his stories. His most popular work is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has Captain Nemo one of fiction's most memorable characters. The book raises one of Verne's main themes - the end of war through technology. In this book, Verne correctly predicted the military use of submarines in warfare. Verne's most humorous work is Around the World in 80 Days, which created another memorable character Phineas J. Fogg, a satire of a proper English gentleman concerned with making his travel connections and winning his bet. These made memorable, Academy Award winning movies. If Jules Verne is the father of hard science and science fiction, Sir Arthur C. Clarke is his adopted son. Clarke brought solid scientific principles to the genre, sticking hard to the rules of physics. His stories are less science fiction than they are science fact. He is the inspiration for dozens of scientists writing science fiction today. Invitations to the opening will be available on a first come first served basis at the reception of the Alliance Francaise. Walk
through a child’s path to creativity
"The Presentation" arranged at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery from May 14-18 (8.30 a.m. to 7 p.m). is specially designed for parents and teachers of children (including teenagers) and those who love and appreciate young ones! The Cora Abraham Art Classes will take you through on the delightful path children go.
No names are written, no awards given. It
was all there, the music, the drama and the song The elements were well in place and in balance with arching bel canto, superlative instrumental playing, dramatic essence, and sobriety juxtaposed tellingly with gaiety. The principal protagonists remained as were favourably remembered from 2002 and 2003, i.e. Preshanthi Navaratnam (soprano) and Ronald Samm(tenor); but on this occasion most powerfully augmented both with there being four excellent and competent singers, including Sarah Brooks (mezzo-soprano) and Jason Wasley (baritone), and, an almost full orchestra (Ananda Dabare's Krasner Ensemble) complemented by pianist Ramya de Livera Perera, all of who added some most welcome breadth and scope to the proceedings. And yet, and winningly so, maintaining a familial intimacy with the audience -unusual in most formal presentations of the classical repertoire. As it turned out, the programme derived a bias toward Mozart, making it all the more a challenge to the singers. While that composer's soaring melody and legato passages are difficult to maintain at the best of times, in a full programme with as much variety as was presented, such singing was the more impressive. For example the plaintive but engaging "Dove Sono" (from Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro") brought out the best in Preshanthi and she maintained the swooping melodic lines with accuracy and delicacy, while also paying attention to its splendid legato delineation. The trio (baritone, mezzo-soprano and soprano) turned in an absolute gem of balance and vocal projection in "Soave" (from Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutti") . Ms. Brooks was in good voice, and her warm and lush mezzo was well able to fill the ambience of the Lionel Wendt Theatre, while also projecting above the equally lush setting as was achieved by Ananda Dabare's Orchestra. The duet featuring Jason Wasley and Sarah Brooks (from Mozart's "Don Giovanni") delighted with a bit of buffo acting added to the bargain; but beyond such coy cavorting as they obviously revelled in, the performance also revealed sound vocal technique with almost imperceptible breathing, due regard to phrasing and delivery while traversing the 'registers' of the voice with convincingly seamless ease. All the while maintaining the requisite open resonance and superb positioning (i.e. of non-constricted throat and tongue placement). Wasley sings within his capacity which was also gratifying, considering that his is a more 'lyric' than dramatic baritone. Ron Samm provides evidence of his maturing style and came to the fore (in particular) with his "Vesti La Giubba" (from Leoncavallo's "I Pagliacci"). This all too familiar 'war horse' requires alertness to negotiate the tricky, often chromatic progressions in the melody, and here, with orchestral support and needing to project over them. He acquitted himself fairly in this rendition. One of the 'surprises' of the evening was another 'old war horse' (indeed, a gem among operatic selections) from Mozart's "Magic Flute" -"Papagena Papageno" sung in English! Wasley showed us that he is a justly trouper, and Preshanthi played along admirably surviving the mire of alliteration the libretto demands not to mention the tight-rope aspect of timing which forms the essence of the dramatic presentation. |
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