“Ananda Samarakoon’s paintings resonate music. His colour combinations are soothing and depict the same rhythm found in Indian classical music. Just like many Indian works of art, Samarakoon’s paintings too contain beauty, grace, and charm. Through the apt use of symbolism, Samarakoon manages to add something extra to his paintings.” Jasmine Roy

Ananda Samarakoon was not just the gifted composer of Sri Lanka’s national anthem. He was also a multifaceted visual artist whose paintings resonate with a deep sense of national identity and simplicity. He received his initial training under the legendary Nandalal Bose at Santiniketan, Bengal. The grief from the death of his son made him leave Sri Lanka for three years from 1948 to 1951: a time he dedicated to travelling and painting, resulting in several international exhibitions. 

His rural-themed paintings made a notable exhibition debut in Kuala Lumpur in 1949, where they were received with overwhelming enthusiasm. Critics such as Jasmine Roy praised his work for its musical rhythm and original symbolism. The February 1948 issue of the Illustrated Weekly of India carried a painting of his on the front cover; the first time a painting by a Sri Lankan artist had made it to an Indian publication.

Samarakoon’s artistic sensibilities blended diverse artistic influences—Oriental, local folk traditions, and Western styles—into a singular, expressive voice.  This mix of traditions manifests in works like You Can’t Make a Pod a Flower, an eloquent meditation on nature’s inevitability, and Evil Intentions, which graphically portrays vulnerability with striking color contrasts and symbolic imagery.  At the heart of Samarakoon’s oeuvre lies a tender portrayal of the Sri Lankan village, its landscapes and everyday scenes rendered with narrative depth and emotional clarity. Paintings such as Govibatha, Gathering Firewood, and Waththa Pahala depict village life with poignant intimacy and compositional balance. His illustrations for his own song Ennada Menike Mamath Diyambata made the fellow artist Sunil Santha reflect, “It is hard to determine whether Samarakoon was sent to this world to be a musician or a painter”.

Technically, Samarakoon was innovative yet respectful of simplicity. He often created his own natural pigments—browns, brick reds, dark greens, whites, greys, blacks, and oranges—and mixed them with a specially devised glue to ensure longevity. His love for unembellished themes did not preclude experimentation; he mastered challenging techniques like spraying, dripping, and “washing” paint—delicate methods that added softness and texture. Through these practices, he established himself as a rare Sri Lankan master of paint-washing technique, an art form now regrettably fading from contemporary practice.

Despite his artistic integrity and international acclaim, including exhibitions in India and Malaysia, Samarakoon’s visual art remained underappreciated at home. Despite his creative brilliance, local support and formal preservation efforts for his paintings remain sparse, leaving Samarakoon’s visual legacy vulnerable