‘Somabandu tradition’ in Sri Lankan paintings

By D.C. Ranatunga

The Bellanwila temple murals by Somabandu Vidyapati have created a new tradition in Sri Lanka’s rich history of the art of wall paintings. It is the work of an artist who is not only a painter but a sculptor, a dancer and an expert in stage décor. He is a scholarly artist with a wide knowledge of many aspects of art. The style he has created should go down history as the ‘Somabandu tradition’.

This view was expressed by Sri Lanka’s foremost sculptor, Professor Sarath Chandrajiva, Dean of the Faculty of Visual Arts at the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo at the launch of the Sinhala version of the publication ‘Bellanwila Murals’ recently.

In a critical appreciation of the Bellanwila temple murals, Sarath C. first touched on the history of Sri Lankan murals. Globally, artists switched from wall paintings to painting on canvas in the 15th century but in Sri Lanka, the change took place only around the 20th century when artists moved from walls to easel painting. However, wall paintings did not cease altogether.

Sarath C. considers three landmarks in the ancient history of Sri Lankan paintings. They are the paintings in Sigiriya, paintings in the Tivanka image house in Polonnaruwa and the Dambulla cave paintings.

In the 20th century, four distinguished artists stood out. They are Sarlis Master (1880-1955), Soliyas Mendis (1897-1975), George Keyt (1901-93) and Somabandu Vidyapati (1923-2006). While Sarlis Master’s work can be seen in a large number of temples, there are three distinct places where the other three have excelled – Soliyas Mendis’s work at the Kelaniya temple, George Keyt’s at Gotami Vihara – Borella and Somabandu’s at Bellanwila temple.

Somabandu started drawing the Bellanwila murals in 1990. He was then 67 years of age. By the time he completed the murals in 1998, he was 75. His creativity can be seen in an area of 4,632 square feet of walls at the Bellanwila temple.

Sarath C. went on to describe the specialities in the technique used by Somabandu. The murals have been done in oil. Yet, they are different in that these murals do not show the thick opaqueness in oil paintings which normally do not show any transparent effect.

The artist has an impressionist style where brush strokes can be observed. Transparency which is a hallmark of water colour paintings is a prominent feature in his colour compositions and colour harmony. Somabandu has highlighted certain selected patches according to the subject matter and their reflection can be felt by the viewer.

According to Sarath C., the lines of the Bellanwila paintings are not emotional like what we see in the Sigiriya paintings which show a speedy effect in the drawing. These have a flowing effect in the lines like the ones in Dambulla paintings. Yet, they differ from Dambulla because the original lines used to sketch the figures have either been made fine or erased. The lines have thus been made thin and simple as the mural is developed. The artist has shown his great talent in line drawing.

Sarath C. commended the artist’s use of three dimensional forms to swiftly change from one frame to the other when depicting event by event. This shows the influence of cubism of modern painters. Sarath C. said it is amazing to see the elderly artist creating such youthful beauty in the figures he has composed. In these figures, one is reminded of the Sigiriya and Tivanka paintings when observing the movements of hands and feet, particularly of the hands and fingers. It is a clear indication of Somabandu’s knowledge and observation of the movements of hands and feet in dancing.

The human figures of the Bellanwila murals were described by Sarath C. as very youthful, attractive and powerful. They remind the viewer of a stage drama where the elements in the background mix with the movements of the players. The perspective in the paintings is a mixture of traditional and modern styles.

He quoted the situations depicting Siddartha Gautama as a Bodhisatva as a very pleasing set of paintings. The rhythm of the female paintings attracts the audience instantly. A gradual change in the moods can be seen towards the end. The influence of the ’43 Group or contemporary Western  artists is visible in the paintings depicting the ‘Satara pera nimithi’ (the four omens)  and ‘Maara parajaya’ (Defeat of the Mara).

He identified Bellanwila not only as a Buddhist temple but an art gallery as well because of the high quality murals. On a warning note, Sarath C. stressed on the need to protect the murals because of the tendency for paintings in tropical countries to deteriorate fast. The ability for devotees to get close to the murals, and the smoke constantly flowing in from oil lamps and joss sticks in and around the image house can damage the paintings. Even constant lighting from electricity can be harmful. He advised that utmost care should be taken in conserving what can be considered a national heritage.

He also suggested that the murals be copied using digital technology and preserved for posterity.