‘Escape 02’, an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Priya Goonetilleke will be held at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, Colombo 7,on March 10 and 11from 10 am to 8 pm.
The exhibition features around 100 pieces of work, both large and small, done with poster colours and gel pens on Ferigoni art paper and Canford cartridge paper.
Priya displays a rare ability to fill up surfaces adequately and meaningfully through line and colour. With a distinctive individuality of her own, her un-influenced quest for beauty is untutored and undirected, thus making her spontaneous work a remarkable collection. The exhibition showcases a varied genre of paintings and portrays her dexterity, simplicity and spontaneity which speak directly to the spectator. Her themes relate to the real and imagined world in an intimate means of expression. In her inimitable style she paints with her inner feelings, portraying a depth in images of tree-scapes and landscapes in a host of vibrant colours and line drawings that give strength and stability, in emphatic patterns and movement.
She has been showcasing her work since 1972 with annual exhibitions of the Ceylon Society of Arts, at the Xll Biennal de Sao Paulo and at Kala Pola.
Educated at Visakha Vidyalaya and very much a self-taught artist, Priya Goonetileke says her greatest inspiration was her father the art critic, journalist and diplomat the late L.P. Goonetilleke.Regular visitors to the Goonetilleke home at Dehiwela were his close friends such as, LTP Manjusri, George Keyt, Justin Deraniyagala and ACGS Amarasekera.. “I’m fortunate to have been exposed to the work of these great artists from a very early age”, she says.