TRADITIONAL ARTS
What is art…? A question that puts most people in quite a pickle. Well, sometimes it shows off emotion and sometimes a creative aspect of a culture and it is known to be something that pours out of the heart of the artist. But often it is the stories of old, the legends that were never written in book and stories that were known to never die. Where might you find such artwork of glorious magnitude you may ask? You may find lots of them in an wonderful island surrounded by sea and land filled with bewildering color. It is none other than the pearl of the Indian ocean, Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan traditional art industry no doubt has shone through the ages and keeps budding on to a shiny future. It started off with ancient temple paintings and rock sculptures which have been carefully preserved through the years and all the artists who contributed were more care full to keep intact with the heritage and not brush off their Sri Lankan roots.
There are a few eras in the traditional Sri Lankan art history called Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy and Kelaniya. Each era represents some identical characteristics of its own and caries unique designs,shapes and colors.
The most notable out of those were the religious painting found in temples all over the country. They can be found in Dambulla, at Kandy in the Temple of the tooth and most ancient temples around the country. Amidst these temple paintings lies stories of the old, most temple painting represents a story or a religious lesson wrote in the 550 Jataka stories. Most commonly in each temple we can find beautiful arts of Lord Buddha and special incidents of Lord Buddha’s life. These were painted and crafted carefully all around the temple to help people understand the story in more clear manner and to improve the outlook. Not only the stories, there are lots of traditional designs been used to fill up the spaces which are unique to our artists. Most of these classic painting are still well preserved and in great condition.
One of the most sought out art crafts by the world in this beautiful country happens to be painted on the Sigiriya rock. Sigiriya is a rock fortress that was carefully placed and crafted for king Kashayapa to hide out and is known around the world for being the eighth wonder of the world. One of its most breath-taking aspects is the cave painting drawn on them. Made to look like they were floating effortlessly the cave paintings are said to be of celestial nymphs carrying flowers to shower upon the kings while others suggest they are queens and concubines of King Kashyapa. While their legacy has survived for over a thousand years, to the day Sri Lankan artists use these paintings as inspiration for their new creations helping preserve the long-last art culture.
Unlike any other traditional industry, Sri Lankan artists too have found many ways to incorporate these paintings into modern-day usage. Most commonly these have been incorporated in Wall Paintings, Wall hangers, Mug holders, Keyholders, Name boards, Book covers, Candleholders, Pen holders and so much more. The unique decorative designs are mostly used in wall hangings and so many talented artists are capable of remaking those ancient designs and extract whatever suitable for modern living concepts. By doing so the Sri Lankan artists make sure of not letting the industry die and a new trend and a value have been incorporated.