Art is a universal subject which evokes a vast variety of human emotions in different forms. Art is truly an expression of the human soul. It has the power to reveal the deepest cores of human feelings on a blank sheet or in verses in a poem. The beauty of art is that it can be heard, seen, touched and felt. Art has the power to get closer and address any human being, blind or deaf.
The silent side of art is expressed through paintings and sculpture. The strokes of a brush and sculpted moulds of clay could entertain our minds repeatedly as it is visible in existing forms of art. What ‘sculpture’ makes prominent is its quality of tactility and the way it gives life to art.
A sculptor’s endurance, patience, creativity and hard work pay for a splendid piece of art. Sculpture has added beauty to the civilizations on earth for thousands of years. Donatello, Michelangelo, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Auguste Rodin and Pablo Picasso contributed in holding sculpture to its true values and standards. Their sculpture has become more realistic as they have dissolved their spirits and souls in it.
At present, the younger generation’s involvement in art has a significant growth as they are aware of the fact that one could find his inner self in art. Sculpture in contemporary art allows the artist to express emotions and senses independently. Thus, a majority of young artists desire to engage in contemporary art. But there are also young artists who give life to traditional art.
The Sunday Observer met one such passionate young artist who captures traditional art styles in sculpture.
Pathum Sripal is a professional sculptor, painter and an art director who is inspired by traditional styles of art. His journey begins with his immense passion towards art.
The creative ability within him pushed him towards giving birth to artistic talents, and he moved forward in education as a painter and a sculptor. His education in traditional art is from Jathika Kauthuka Vasthu Anuru Pasala where he enriched his knowledge and sharpened his skills with ‘Vihara Sithuwam’ and ‘Murthi Shilpaya’. His professional life begins as an Art Director where his skills were introduced to the silver screen.
His art directing has been contributed to teledramas such as ‘Maharaja Gamunu’, ‘Kusumasana Devi’, ‘Subha Theraniyo’, ‘Akasa Palama’, ‘Sulaga’, ‘Dhavala Hasthiya’, ‘Ravana’, ‘Siddhartha Gawthama’ and ‘Iru Deva’. In addition, he contributed to costume creation for these historical teledramas. As an actor, Pathum has performed in the teledramas ‘Maharaja Gemunu’, ‘Kusumasana Devi’, ‘Subha Theraniyo’, ‘Duwili Ahasa’, ‘Sulaga’, ‘Dhavala Hasthiya’ and ‘Sakkaran’.
“Actually sculpture is the only subject of art where human emotions are ‘moulded’ to distinct shapes. The beauty of sculpture is it could be touched and felt. These dimensional art objects are created out of enormous varieties of media such as clay, wax, metal, cement, stone, fabric, glass, wood, fibre and rubber. Obviously ‘sculpture’ does not have a fixed definition which explains the term. Sculpture is a massive subject which grows and evolves over time. Nobody can predict its future extensions. This tangible visible form of art could entertain the spectator’s visual sensibilities over and over. Unlike other forms of art, sculpture could strike the observer with its beauty and tangibility,” said Pathum.
He continued, “Whoever wants to be an artist should have a heart to conquer feelings and convert that to art. This needs patience, dedication and hard work. The practice and experimenting lead to the advanced level of the aesthetic realm of sculpture, having the power to express the most delicate emotions to the most violent expressions. At present, I use fibre and cement in creating sculpture. I use acrylic paint to paint them.
The South Asian sculpture and paintings have absorbed traditional art features and most of the artistic creations are dedicated to religious devotions in different cultures. So I have used those techniques in my creations while incorporating my unique style.”
Young artistic spirits in Sri Lanka are in the process of building up their professional skills on the art platform. A proper guidance, education and demand for artists at a professional level would promote art as a livelihood to a large extent. Young spirits like Pathum are truly an inspiration for the aspiring future artists who are attempting to cultivate sensitive responses in creative works of art.