GEORGE KEYT

Descobri hoje no site de um meu amigo um novo pintor natural do Sri Lanka, antigo Ceilao. Gostei tanto que resolvi partilhar convosco.

I discovered today in a friend's site a new painter born in Sri Lanka. I liked so much that I decided to share with all my friends.

GEORGE KEYT (1901 – 1993)

Born a year after the turn of the last century, George Keyt, Sri Lanka's most distinguished and renowned modern painter, had a life long passion for drawing , the study of art and literature. His extensive involvement in the intellectual teachings of Buddhism exercised a powerful and lasting influence that provided both literary and artistic stimuli for Keyt’s works. As a young painter, he also explored Hindu mythology and Indian literature, which drew him to the cultural life of India where he lived for periods from 1939 up to the late 1970s. Hindu myth and legend imagery were incorporated into his works, in addition to the influences of Sri Lankan Buddhism. A meeting in Sri Lanka with Rabindranath Tagore in the 1930s had a lasting impact, as Tagore’s artistic and literary sensibilities very much mirrored Keyt’s own. In addition to being a painter, Keyt is considered one of contemporary Sri Lanka’s foremost poets. He proclaimed his perceptions and practice as a painter in a few notable essays on the vision of the painter. One of his most notable literary works was the translation of the Gita Govinda into English and Sinhala, which translations were illustrated by his own elegant line drawings (see Martin Russell collection and Amerasinghe collections).George Keyt’s works have been exhibited throughout the world, including in India, London and other European and American centres. His works are actively auctioned through international houses such as Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonham’s and are to be found in various international public and private collections, including the V&A Museum, London.

Note: The 6 pictures credits to / As 6 fotos creditos a: P. Suresh de Silva (priyanjen.multiply.com)