Here were familiar images
all aglow and above all, arresting. They were a feast to those with an
eye for beauty and bespoke the wonders of Oriental art. The intricately
wrought copper carvings, most of them symbols of local spirituality,
religion and culture, exuded the ethos of the people of Sri Lanka and
that of other inhabitants of the East and deserved a place among the
best products of the Lankan aesthetic sense.These were the
impressions that crowded one's mind as he visited the Exhibition of
Copper Art at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, Colombo on October 17.The
works on display came out of the patient hands of Damayanthi Kottegoda,
S. Ratnagopal, Nelun Gunasekera and Chandani Jayatilleke. There were
around 115 stately, striking works, most of them set neatly in frames
and mounts of contrasting hues and arresting shapes, and these ranged
from images of the Buddha, Jesus, the Dhammacakka Mudra, Krishna and
Radha, 'Hansa Poottuwa', the Wedding of Rama and Sita, Hanuman, Sigiriya
Apsara and 'Praying Hands' to nursery pictures and bullock carts.
Besides being a deft artist one needs to be a patient carver and
engraver, Chandani pointed out. This is because delicate etchings need
to be made from an image in the mind on molten copper. The process could
take weeks but the final product could be a work of exquisite beauty.
Lynn Ockersz
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