“I do not pre-meditate about what I am going to paint; it just flows onto the canvas with my own feelings”. Tilake Abeysinghe

A painting of a splendid phoenix adorns a wall of the new Central Bank building in Sri Lanka. Phoenix, a bird with magnificent plumage, in Greek and Chinese mythologies, is combusted within sparks of fire along with its cage. It is believed that a novel bird arises from the remaining ashes in an act of resurrection. This painting is a tribute to the men and women who were consumed in the fire sparked during the bombing of Central Bank of Sri Lanka by the separatist terrorists in 1996. The painting is also a symbolic accolade to those employees who survived the bombing and worked collectively towards the resurrection of the economic activities thus disrupted through barbarism.  

Traditionally symbolic of the sun, decomposition, metempsychosis and consecration, the phoenix could also be associated to the Asian philosophies of rebirth and reincarnation, and thus probably thought befitting to adorn the indoors of the novel construction of the bank by Tilake Abeysinghe. The Sri Lankan painter who was at times called as the ‘Picasso of Sri Lanka,’ and at other times as the ‘Maestro of the Human Figure’ by his admirers, is an extraordinary artiste who drew inspiration from foreign mythologies to artistically express his anguish towards bestial homicide and anticipated better prospects for the country within which he was born.

The southerly village of Karathota in Sri Lanka, was at the time of the birth of the artiste, in 1929 still was a village largely untouched by either modernism or western cultural influences despite the prevailing of the then British Imperialism. Deeply seeped both within lush verdure and a Buddhism, the Karathota village life offered the young Abeysinghe at an early age, the philosophy of simplicity. The youthful experiences in the village related to lakes, paddy fields and dense greenery probably served as the primary inspiration to represent as pictures. They made their way as etchings in scraps of paper when Abeysinghe was extremely young.

While, his deep-rootedness in the village, had been continuously celebrated by this clairvoyant artiste through statements such as; “I am a villager,” the simplicity of the lines and the economy of the colour in his paintings have been extensively correlated by critics, to the life experiences within the unadulterated verdure of Karathota.  

Orphaned at an age as early as 10 years, Abeysinghe was nurtured by his grandmother and received his maternal education at the Matara Rahula College, an institute deeply-influenced and managed in accordance to the Buddhist way of life. In contrast, his latter school years, were spent at the Kandy St. Sylvester’s College set in the mountainous region closer to the center of the island and governed by the Benedictine monks with an emphasis on the Christian philosophy and European customs.

It is noteworthy, that the Kandy housed the ancient royal palace which was chosen to cradle the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. Further the region was scattered with Buddhist temples, and monuments which exhibited exquisite and antique Sinhalese architecture and carvings. Tilake Abeysinghe supposedly drew inspiration through the architecture of Degaldoruwa Raja Maha Vihara which were graced with Kandyan motifs’ murals; architecture of the Lankatilaka Vihara; and wood carvings on the pillars in the Embekka Devalaya. Embekke dewalaya, a sanctorum dedicated to God Katharagama (Karthikeya) with its octagonal pillars beautified with unique Sri Lankan elements including hansa puttuwa – entwined swans, berunda pakshiya – double headed eagles, angampora wrestlers, vrishaba kunjaraya – elephant-bull hybrid and gaja-singhe – elephant-lion hybrid motifs, possibly stirred the imagination of the young Abeysinghe.

In an interesting paradox, the education at St. Sylvester’s College, run by Benedictine monks, exposed the youngster to Christian artwork and culture. His teachers becoming aware of his talent assisted in broadening his vision through introducing European art to him; specifically, those of the Renaissance, Romantics, Impressionism and Modernism. It could be analysed, that concurrently, the Kandyan temples conferred upon him cognitive abilities in appreciating exquisite local artistic oeuvres deeply rooted in Asian and Buddhist traditions. These experiences would have undoubtedly influenced him to create the artwork for the stamp which eventually won the competition held for the Buddha Jayanthi stamp in 1956, held to commemorate 2500 years since Lord Buddha’s nativity in Sri Lanka; a victory which elevated him to a local celebrity status.

Eventually, although, Abeysinghe chose to work as a draftsman at the local Survey Department, he was engaged in taking art lessons at the Heywood College of Fine Arts in Colombo. The association with the College in due course opened an avenue for him to earn a postgraduate scholarship from the Italian Government to Academia Di Belle Arte di Brera in Milan. Under the tutelage of Academia Professors such as Contatore and Marini, Tilake Abeysinghe studied painting and sculpture. These mentors molded his skills, especially in inscribing knowledge in the manner of handling the human and other forms; “creating the illusion of movement” through the use of lines; and the producing and maintaining the balance between striking and harmonious colours with confidence.

Abeysinghe’s artistic talents were enhanced through his frequent visits to the illustrious European art galleries, such as Louvre, Tate, Prado, etc, which would eventually inspire him to launch his personal atelier in 1980 in Milan at the age of 51 and subsequently in Zurich.

His illustrious, artistic career has been linked to 83 successful one-man exhibitions, rendering, Tilake Abeysinghe, undoubtedly one of the finest Sri Lankan artists in the international artistic sphere. Chief exhibit centers in Italian, Swiss, Canadian, Indian, Bangladeshi, Spanish, French, Chinese, German, British, Danish, Brazilian, and Pakistani has bear witnesses to his paintings, while his maiden solo-exhibition took place in Milan in 1967, six years after he graduated from his alma-mater Brera Academia, with a distinction.

The choice of the phoenix to adorn one of the newly constructed burnt walls of the Central Bank building could be analyzed as an apt artistic motif for an artiste such as Abeysinghe. Tilake as he was fondly called by his wife had witnessed several deep personal tragedies, such as being orphaned at a very young age; losing his son Lochana; eventually losing the use of his right hand, through a right-sided paralytic stroke caused by the extreme anguish at the death of his son in 1997. Yet despite these exclusive misfortunes, he revivified his body deriving the strength from his extensive passion for drawing and taught himself to use the left hand to write, paint, and sculpt; resurrecting himself and his artistic expertise subsequent to the ruination of the body alike a phoenix.

Apart from his success in the global artistic domain and his foreign training, it is crucial to recognize, the manner in which Tilake Abeysinghe has contributed to the national causes through art; the manner in which he had chosen to elaborate Sri Lankan history; honour those who had championed to protect national interests through diverse mediums such as muralism, sculpture and paintings. Twelve-feet commemorative statues of a man and a woman were finalized by him in a gesture to pay homage to those Central Bank Headquarter employees whose lives were terminated during the Terrorist bomb explosion on January 31, 1996. This work was commissioned by the governor A. S. Jayawardene and was a feat accomplished by Abeysinghe as a dissentient statement against homicide and terrorism. On the other hand, the portrait painting of General Nalin Seneviratne could be seen as an endeavor in celebrating those who lived to defend the national interests.  

The 20 feet high sculpture depicting the Roman Emperor Claudius with the Sri Lankan royal delegation from the Anuradhapura to Rome in 45 AD, supposedly sent by King Bhatikabaya which adorns the walls of the Italian Embassy in Colombo is believed to be one of Abeysinghe’s masterpieces. This magnanimous work and Sri Jawaharlal Nehru’s bust at the Indian High Commission in Colombo, are evidences of the acceptance of his international level talent.

It is probably in recognition of his services locally and internationally rendered to art and sculpture and his educational and professional activities executed in Italy which eventually led the maestro to be bestowed with the Knighthood by the Italian Government in 1984 as a “Cavaliere of the Order of Merit.”

While Abeysinghe’s work had been celebrated for the bold and unapologetic representation of the female body, numerous of them were essentially a celebration of the beauty of life related to the concept of Eros, an element which extended beyond the erotic, and an extension beyond the sentiment of libido. The paintings were of human forms which depicted a desire to live, to create; favoring creativity and construction; manifesting the beauteous ethos between people and objects over destruction, decomposition and barbarism. Thereby, Tilake Abeysinghe’s oeuvres d’art have intermittently expressed an artistic need to celebrate life and can be perceived as Sri Lankan genre “Odes to Joy. “

Renowned for his independency and generally uninfluenced by commercialism, Abeysinghe was interested in all three – abstract, semi-abstract and human forms and worked in oil, water colour and even in charcoal. He developed the technique of softening the colours in order promote the conception of peace universally, whether in Italy, Sri Lanka or elsewhere. While, his water colour paintings are primarily based on abstract art, they are not merely perceived as decorative or imitate art. Abeysinghe, had confirmed that he is at most ease with oil on canvas, which he believes to be the easiest medium for any artist, although, this does not lack complexities.

Abeysinghe escapes categorization and his paintings evade classification. The lack of evidence that his paintings are influenced by other artists, has been a reason for analysts accept his works originate from an innate need to create and an inherent passion to paint; a fact which probably inspired to call his paintings, his “other children.” The difficulty in categorization could have emanated due to the combinative factors of his training under the best of Italian masters of the time, and the witnessing distinctive Sri Lankan art. Thereby, thus his style often reveals a fusion of the East and the West.  

A critical point in Abeysinghe’s work is despite the personal tragedies that have painted his own life, sufferance or the struggles of everyday-life have not extended into his canvases, as is seen in numerous other artists. On the contrary, his paintings are immersed in representing ethereal joy of living, for example, in representation of the calming presence of Buddha and Buddhist monks, or the sublime and transcendent universal beauty of the female.

The alluring beauty of the curved line plays an important role Tilake’s work; whether it was in the representation of the sensuous female figure or the monastic robes of the Buddhist monks. Abeysinghe elucidated that “I see the female figure as the most beautiful thing on earth, far surpassing all other miracles of creation. When I begin to think seriously about this, I change my style from abstract art.” The numerous oeuvres on femmes nues consolidate Abesinghe’s statement on his fascination about the female figure.  Abeysinghe’s bold explorations of the female nudity, is often completed in mono-colour visions and presents the body in a matter of fact tone; physicality as an inherent part of the human experience. Incidentally, 40-paintings exhibition at the Lionel Wendt in 2004, was named ‘Naari Ru’ which was dedicated in representation of the female form was a remarkable success. The art critics admired his bold admiration and the representation of the human form. The sensuality represented in the female form in his canvasses were not merely sensual, but had translated sensuality into beauty.

As a tribute to the talent and the magnitude of the work done by this artist the Sri Lankan government established the Tilake Abeysinghe Foundation through a special Parliamentary enactment and the artist was offered a permanent gallery to exhibit paintings and sculptures at the Mount Lavinia hotel in Colombo.   

Honoured by the Kalapathi award of Sri Lanka Society of Arts (1993), Vishva Prasadini and Ruhunuputhra Awards (1993) and the title of Kalakirthi as a recognition of his services to the nation, Tilake’s last four art exhibitions were held exclusively in Canada, where he was similarly honored  with a gold medal by the mayor of Labrador city in appreciation of his work before he breathed his last.