Defying darkness

Renowned artist Marie Alles Fernando once again focuses on beauty and peace in her latest exhibition ‘In the Light’

By Ayesha Inoon

Vibrant shades and striking images glow softly in the paintings. The graceful movements of oriental dancers are frozen for eternity in an aura of light. The beauty of natural landscapes is intensified by the artist’s skilful use of the dimensions of brightness.

Once again, Marie Alles Fernando has captured the essence of divine peace and beauty in her paintings which will be displayed in an exhibition ‘In the Light’, to be held at Arkipelago, 68 A Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 3, from March 29 until April 5 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Moving away from the atmosphere of darkness and melancholy that pervades our country today, the paintings project peace, compassion, love and fulfillment.

Some portray lovely female dancers engaged in the classical Indian dance form, Odissi – embodying languid grace; the dancers are transformed into a powerful symbol of womanhood as they adopt the sculpture-like poses seen on Orissa temples. Others depict tranquil scenes in nature or rustic Sri Lankan life.

“Sometimes I’m surrounded by a lot of sadness, but in spite of that I’ve managed to paint in brilliant colours – I think that comes from my inner strength which comes only from God,” muses Mrs. Fernando, speaking of the necessity to discover and endorse positive images in a country that has been torn by war for over two decades. This is what she has been trying to achieve through her art – to project the brighter side of Sri Lanka to the rest of the world.

“I do charity, and try to help in whatever way I can – but it is my paintings that are going to last for more than a lifetime, to remind people of something positive in our country,” she says, believing that although wars, poverty and hardships, the things people do and fail to do, all may ebb and flow, what lasts are the monuments to art.

“There is so much darkness today in our country – many people are living in darkness,” she says with sadness, adding that to move towards an era of peace and joy we must first instill the right values in our children by becoming a more moral people ourselves - “We must bring back the positive values of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. I know Sri Lanka will change for the better, especially if the younger generation realises that they must give back to the country that has given them so much.” Her own children and their partners, who were educated in the West and yet have returned to serve their homeland, are an inspiration to her, she says, reaffirming her faith in the goodness of young people.

Marie Alles Fernando’s career as a gifted artist who has made an immense contribution to art in Sri Lanka spans almost forty years. Light and colour are her main sources of inspiration, and she paints the varying effects of light on nature, on man, and on the very atmosphere.

In her beautiful home on the outskirts of Colombo, she now leads a quiet life, painting, reading, meditating and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Her journey to success as a female artist has not been easy – yet her deep love of her vocation, faith in God and loving support from her husband have helped her reach the peak of achievement where she stands today.