Believe in the starving artists

• Art through the decades with S.H. Sarath  

Gallery FourLife, Colombo 5, is currently featuring the ‘Harmony of Love’ art exhibition, held from 8-29 July 2022. Curated by Gallery FourLife Managing Director Chathuranga Biyagama, the exhibition consists of 30 paintings – mainly oils on canvas – created by veteran artist Kalasoori S.H. Sarath, which speaks about the harmony of love, relationships, and peace. The gallery has organised and sponsored the event in order to encourage Sri Lankan artists and to pay tribute to senior artists during these difficult times.

To mark this exhibition, and nearly 50 years in the arts, Brunch had a conversation with Sarath about his life, career, and art over the years. Speaking briefly about Sri Lankan art and where it stands today, Sarath shared that if one wished to truly experience art one must educate oneself, particularly about its roots, noting that the beginnings of Sri Lankan art largely involved producing what may be called abstract art.

“In its purest form, Sri Lankan art was based on imagination, emotions, and spirituality. The art that our ancestors in ancient times drew from their minds, conjured up images that were not manifest in the human world. However, art has evolved over the years with Western influences,” Sarath said, adding that a more academic approach to art could be seen in the Western world, and once Sri Lankans returned after education abroad, they brought with them these practices and knowledge and further influenced the trajectory of art within the island.  “Subject-focused drawings, technical portrayals of what we see, exact measures, lighting, and all such elements that were put into drawings came from the West.” 

The personal style of S.H. Sarath

Born in 1947 in a small village in Weligama, then gradually pursuing his art education at the then Government College of Fine Arts in Sri Lanka, Silpakorn Fine Arts University in Thailand, and at the University of South Australia in Adelaide, Sarath’s life and work alludes to a most illustrious career as a revered artist in the country. 

He has had many successes over the years, securing his position as a legendary figure in the artistic community in Sri Lanka, having many of his significant works displayed permanently at the National Art Gallery Colombo, UNICEF Sri Lanka, Bandaranaike International Airport, Ecka Art Gallery Yugoslavia, Fukuoka Japan, UN Geneva, University of Victoria, and many others. 

His first solo exhibition was held at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre in 1974, and among the highlights of his participation locally and globally are his representation of Sri Lanka in 1975 at the Xlll Biennial Brazil; 1978, 1982, 1986, and 1991 Triennial India; 1981 Festival of Sri Lankan Contemporary Paintings at the Commonwealth Institute, London with the ’43 Group’ of Sri Lankan artists; 1985 Asian Art Show – Fukuoka; 1986 Segunda Biennial Havana; and many other exhibitions across the globe.

Speaking about the many highlights of his career, Sarath noted that much of his growth must be attributed to those who influenced him, not only those who were his mentors and teachers but also his peers. He shared that he had been fortunate to rub shoulders with and be considered a contemporary of some of the greats, having participated in collaborations with celebrated artists in the famous ‘43 Group’ like George Keyt, Stanley Kirinde, Manjusri, Ivan Peiris, Senaka Senanayake, Stanley Abeysinghe, A.C.G.S. Amarasekara, Belin, Justin Deraniyagala, Richard Gabriel, and numerous others.

Looking back, one piece of advice he wished to impart to anyone who’d care to listen was that while he had various influences, he had come to learn that an artist must find their own voice. “What is the point in speaking through the voice of another?” he asked. “When you are young this is unavoidable. You imitate your influences. You admire the works of your heroes and you wish to be just like them, but imitation is simply a stepping stone in your journey as you grow and come into your own. You must discover your own voice.” 

He shared that once you have found yourself, you must not stop there – artists have a duty to establish a culture, so they must set out to grow beyond their own little world to become an influence within and beyond their own community. 

‘I believe in the concept of a starving artist’

Sarath shared that in the past when he first started out at exhibitions, catalogues were rated at meagre prices. “In the beginning when we held exhibitions we used to have catalogues priced at Rs. 250 or Rs. 200. I have these catalogues to this day. But there was once an instance in 1983 in Koggala, where I managed to sell a piece of art for Rs. 100,000, which is when I and my peers realised that there is value here and that there is in fact a living to be made,” he said.  

Sarath is firmly of the opinion that being a full-time artist is a realistic goal. However, he shared that it was all dependent on how one went about becoming a professional artist. “You must not become an artist with the expectation of making money. If you are an artist then you must be an artist full time. I do not wish to devalue those who make a living from art in the way of a side hustle. To pick up a brush and paint or to participate in art is valuable regardless of the extent of your contribution. However, to be an artist, you must not simply draw on occasion – you must live in art and embody it as a lifestyle,” he said. 

He noted that much of the challenges that young artists face today were because their fundamentals and their ambitions were misplaced. While he deeply values those who do art for a living, especially those who draw for commercial purposes, such as art targeted at tourists, which he believes is a necessary part of the art ecosystem in the island, studio artists are however a different breed. Constant commitment is key – you cannot be a studio artist by drawing only when you have an exhibition coming up and never picking a brush again until the next one. 

“You must expose your skills to the elements, and the more you polish and find your tools – which are your skills – the more you grow. That is the only way you get better,” Sarath said, adding: “You must nourish your skills.”  

Acknowledging that it may be an old school point of view, Sarath observed that he subscribed to the idea of the starving artist: “I believe in the concept of a starving artist,” he said, adding that in a country like Sri Lanka one would never starve, but as an artist, that was all one must do. 

He noted that one must dedicate one’s life to one’s craft, not for the commercial gains but for the craft itself. “Every religion has gods. If you are following your destined path and you do it purely, the universe will bring you to your goal. So you must live with reckless abandon and if you are true you will achieve your goals.” 

Not an easy road

Sarath did however acknowledge that in today’s world there were different challenges. He noted that female artists often got married and were forced to take on the responsibilities of domestic life. “There are so many talented women, but no institution to help them pursue their craft.”

There is also no nurturing of modern art in Sri Lanka, and for such nurturing to take place, there was a real need for art museums in order to foster the creative spirit, Sarath shared. However, he also recognised that modern lifestyles did not often allow for the leisurely experience of art in its many forms.  

“The Lionel Wendt charges around Rs. 20,000 per day and a three-day exhibition will cost Rs. 60,000 for a young artist. Financially, it is often impossible to sustain an exhibition for longer than that. However, considering the nature of the lifestyles that people lead, holding a three-day exhibition that is probably only accessible from around 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the latest is unlikely to ensure a satisfactory audience reach,” he said. 

Finally, Sarath opined that the media also carried some blame for how the public consumed art, noting that there was a inclination towards controversy in today’s patterns of consumption: “What an artist does is provide answers but the people only wish to see problems.” 

Sarath also drew attention to the artists of the Aragalaya, born from the recent protests. He said that as a senior artist who had been around for many decades, he had seen his fair share of protest art. Accordingly, he will also be having an exhibition for the Aragalaya in November. Protests and revolutions are the perfect breeding ground for art, Sarath noted, adding that this was where the heart of an artist was born – from the passion that evokes the search for a medium of expression – with many turning to art as a way of voicing their thoughts and their concerns. 

Sarath too has made his fair share of ‘protest art,’ once having drawn a painting which depicted the Maithree Buddha getting caught in a landmine, which was considered incredibly controversial and he was advised not to showcase this work in a public exhibition. As such, he understood the heart of an artist born of protests and he supported the movement, Sarath said.

The Harmony of Love Art Exhibition will be held at Gallery FourLife, Boteju Road, Colombo, from 8-29 July 2022 and will be open to the public from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.