‘Shailee’, is the name that young Lakna Kithmini has chosen for her art exhibition, which, as the name suggests, showcased several paintings of varying styles. In her art, Lakna uses different media and techniques. Styles old and new, from the East and the West converge to create a series of new paintings on varied themes. “I like to experiment on different styles and techniques, rather than being trapped into a single style. All the paintings displayed at this exhibition are basically my experimentations,” Lakna says.
Two of her paintings depicted amalgamation of new elements to a traditional painting. One named Mala, is an adaptation of Prince Dantha and Princess Hemamala bringing the sacred tooth relic to Sri Lanka by Solias Mendis. Using oil on canvas, Lakna has replaced the original Hemamala with a modernized version of Hemamala, facing Dantha. “I have used the hyper realistic style to paint Hemamala.
What I want to emphasize via this painting is the advancement of technology when it comes to painting. For example, at the time of the original painting, the number of colours were limited to yellows and greens
The skin tone was not realistic, but today, with technique and a myriad of available colours it is possible to paint the actual skin tone and show so much detail,” she says. Lakna adds that she wanted to depict Dantha and Hemamala facing each other, to illustrate that they are lovers. Her portrayal of the duo gives one the impression of a modern and more realistic Hemamala passively observing a Dantha who is trapped back in time.
The second painting is converging a copy of a Sigiri Aspara, with her modern version. Using oil on canvas, a more slender and hyper realistic Apsara stands behind the original version, contrasting the original depiction.
The hyper realistic form emphasizes youth and vitality, with dewy skin and toned muscles. She also holds a frangipani flower in her hand, instead of the water lily as favoured by the original Sigiri Apsaras.
Another oil on canvas, named, Beauty of Neck, emphasizes a woman’s neck from below her eyes. The eyes, head and cloths are in red, along with the background, which gives the impression of the image fading into the background, except for the neck and lower face.
The opaque colouring highlights the youth of the high cheekbones and the beauty of skin, while the neck shows many lines and curves. However, the darkened neck sharply contrasts with the blooming cheeks, illustrating two aspects on the same body.
Feelings, a black and white depiction of a woman’s thoughts, portrays a youthful woman in peaceful slumber.
Flowers surrounding her illustrate blooming thoughts of different types and sizes, some light and glowing, others darker, indicating pure and darker thoughts. Though the colours are black and white, lines and shading represent different thoughts generated by the mind.
Crystal Water depicts the Negombo Port, where, transparent water colour technique is used to highlight the clear water in the Port. The effect is further enhanced by the use of opaque colouring on the boats and the background.