Preserving Sri Lanka’s heritage through art

L.K. Karunaratne, a chartered architect who turned 93 this year, is currently hosting an exhibition of over 250 visual impressions and copies of work of art and even some rare replicas of ancient Sri Lankan drawings from August 17th to 19th at the Art Gallery in Colombo.

Having begun a career at the Department of Archeology in 1947, Karunaratne dedicate his life to archeology and the restoration of ancient art. His work took him to many archeological sites and during these travels, he developed a deep appreciation for Sri Lankan art and drawings.

Many of the original works of art that Karunaratne meticulously detailed from across the country are today lost due to various causes and his work remains the only record of these historical paintings and drawings.

Karunaratne was responsible for most of the eye copies made of Sigiriya and the temple murals in Polonnaruwa and Kandy of which many are lost or do not exist in their original locations as of now.     

Among his services in the field of archeology are the restoration of Katharagama Kiri Wehera in 1961, Mihinthale Mahaseya and Smawathiya Dagoba with architect Roland Silva. Apart from these projects, Karunaratne’s ingenuity in researching and understanding historic data played an important role. His work also involves the restoration of the 14 foot high brass lamp in the Church of the Old Dutch Fort in Jaffna and the restoration of the Kuttam Pokuna in Anuradhapura.

The exhibition will feature works of art that he painstakingly traced and copied by hand either climbing scaffolding, crouching or lying down at ancient archeological sites across the country for months in an effort to preserve, save and inspire future generations of painters in Sri Lanka.