In this final instalment of this series, I wish to touch on the collection of works by the late great master painter Stanley Kirinde which makes up a significant part of Trinity College’s collection of fine Art. Kirinde’s works have been greatly admired for decades for reflecting Sri Lanka’s culture, folklore, history and scenic landscapes. As I mentioned in the first instalment of this series, Kirinde is an old boy of Trinity College Kandy, and stands out as an exemplary artist, and the fact that his Alma Mater possesses a collection of his works is a significant fact to Sri Lanka’s arts community, both practitioners and admirers alike.
Walters and Asgiriya
The current ‘Kirinde Collection’ at Trinity College Kandy consists of works that belong to several categories. Among them are, a portrait of Mr. Norman Walters a past Principal of Trinity, and a painting of the Asgiriya Grounds, a venue, which as a Test Class cricket stadium has the unique distinction of being the only such facility in the world owned by a Secondary School. Both works are oil paintings done on canvas as stated by the current Curator of the Trinity College Archives and currently on display at the school’s Library.
The Kirinde Collection at Trinity College further contains two pencil sketches depicting sceneries and several other paintings done by Kirinde, which are currently on display at the Trinity College Archives, as stated by its Curator Mrs. Thilini Dias Sumanasekera, who further specified that there are about ten sketches altogether, and that among the works by Kirinde at the archives, are some done on canvas while others are works done on plywood board, and art boards. All images of the Kirinde Collection featured in this article were photographed by Sheshan Abeysekara who is hereby credited for the photographs.
Restoration of chapel murals
I came to learn from a well informed source in the Trinity College fraternity that the world renowned murals of the Trinity College chapel, painted by David Paynter, are currently undergoing restoration due to efforts made by the Trinity College management, old boys, and several government institutions including the Ministry of Culture Affairs and National Heritage as well as the Malwatte Chapter of the Siyam Nikaya.
While the interest and measures taken to restore and conserve the Paynter murals of the Trinity chapel must be lauded and applauded, it must also be noted that similar interest in restoration and conservation should be shown to the overall collection of fine art in the possession of Trinity College.
The Kirinde collection together with the eight works by David Paynter which I discussed in the three previous instalments of this series, form a collection that is part of Sri Lanka’s tangible heritage of modern art. Preservation of this collection of fine art is a duty which must not merely be cast upon the Trinity College management alone, but should be a considered as a subject of interest by institutions in the country that bear responsibilities with regard to national heritage and culture.
Deteriorating Paynter pieces
I am by no means an expert on the subject of art restoration and conservation, but when taking a close look at two of the scenery pieces by Paynter [discussed in part 3 of this series], namely the Mountain scene and the Bamboo grove by the water, it is very evident that both works are now in a condition of deterioration and will not survive for another generation unless measures for restoration are taken immediately.
A publication for posterity
As 2022 dawns and Trinity College steps towards the monumental milestone of celebrating the 150th year of the College’s founding, it is apt that the Trinity fraternity consider doing a high quality publication which catalogues with commentary, the pieces of fine art [including the world renown chapel murals by Paynter] so that images of these works together with details related to their themes and subjects could be passed on to posterity, and allow these works to be appreciated by many an art lover both in Sri Lanka and abroad.
A publication that presents in detail, images of the works in their present condition, will be of significant value to place on record the state of the works at this point in time so that should future restoration work be done, visual appreciation of the works in their pre-restoration state would also be possible and further provide a basis for a comparison as ‘then and now’.
A publication of such nature will surely be received very well by many groups of art lovers in the Anglophone world, and gain value over time as a source of information on the art treasures at Trinity College, which is an art collection of national importance.
In conclusion I offer my sincere thanks to the current Principal of Trinity College Rev. Fr. Araliya Jayasundara, Mr. Aslam Marikkar, Ravi Amarasekera [Head of Administration at Trinity College], Mrs. Thilini Dias Sumanasekera [Curator of Trinity College Archives] as well as Chethaka Atukorale and Sheshan Abeysekara the two photographers, for enabling me to write this series.
While wishing the Trinity fraternity as a whole a jubilant stride towards the 150th anniversary of Trinity College in 2022, I wholeheartedly hope that much interest will rise in Trinity’s art collection of national importance among all relevant quarters to lend wider support to Trinity College in the preservation of its treasure trove of Sri Lankan modern art.