2012/12/29

'Ekath Ehemeda' - asks Shantha Herrath

'Ekath Ehemeda' - asks Shantha k Herath 


https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgS_BZjDUbQnnuH8VhIcND1CujMtKm7YdjRkBfNqF2aWvAqum4HHf6cmQGot3Do1pOOOFFB4OYBxPhAJGVwngXTYEuufV5fiElx4a9X0frVAUix7ZDiNas5JtIo3wWzaPUdo3rt44LYOd/s1600/00001.jpg 


 It was a late afternoon sometime last week. The lanky youngster was busy explaining his art to a few people who had walked into the National Library Services Board auditorium to view the 'Sakku Cartoon Ekathuwa' (Collection of pocket cartoons). Artist Shantha K. Herrath had picked some of his work over the past two decades for the exhibition - possibly a 'first' where pocket cartoons are concerned. We are used to enjoying Shantha's work on topical issues every morning on page one of the Divaina. But to see most of it in a single collection along with a lot of caricatures of leading political figures and his other efforts was a refreshing experience.


Only a few may have known that it was Shantha who gave the innovative treatment to the weekly supplement on arts in the daily Divaina sometime back. (He is presently the Art Editor). The few pages that were exhibited showed a totally new approach to page layouts. There was a freshness in them. One could see the genuine effort made by a creative artiste to do something new. The pages were bold layouts with one or two impressive black and white pictures - sometimes with a lot of white space. The impact was eye catching. One had a feature on the renowned sculptor Surendra. A dominating picture of one of Surendra's creations, a portrait of the sculptor and the write-up about his creations had been presented effectively.


Describing how he tried to be different to other cartoonists who had made a name for themselves, Shantha says he tried to give a mobile effect to the drawing to make a sharp statement and scribbled the words without using the typed letters. The result was a series of pocket cartoons titled 'Ekath Ehemeda' (Is that so) adorning the front page of the Divaina for three years. "The objective of my pocket cartoon was to use a headline appearing in the newspaper to kindle subtle humour while bringing to the attention of the reader a weakness prevalent in society," he explains.


Referring to the different classification of art (pure, commercial and applied), he believes that under whatever category, a creative artist is able to produce quality work based on his understanding of the medium, his mastery of skill and his perception of the society he lives in.


Shantha's exhibtion marked the release of a collection of his pocket cartoons in book form - a 'must' for anyone's library because it reflects the social, political and economic environment that existed in the country in the eighties. As renowned cartoonist Wijesoma says, Shantha's book of cartoons "makes you look at the most serious situations in a lighter vein."


Wijesoma sees Shantha as a cartoonist who introduced a new style, breaking away from the traditional, to the pocket cartoon, not seen in Sinhala newspapers before.


In the book, Shantha has presented the cartoons in an interesting way. In the first few pages he reproduces the newspaper pages with his cartoons in the exact format they appeared in. Thereafter he has devoted a page for each cartoon with a news headline indicating the topic which prompted him to draw the cartoon and the cartoon with his wording. There is an English translation given to each so that even a non-Sinhala reader is able to enjoy it. A good thought.


It's well worth having Shantha's book of cartoons in anyone's collection.

Kala Korner by Dee Cee

2012/12/15

The artist in and out of the newspaper



Shantha K. Herrath: the artist in and out of the newspaper



by Malinda Seneviratne 
Not being a connoisseur of art as such, I know little of artists and art critics. All my life, my only affinity to art has been a vague and clearly sparse familiarity with names. As a child I knew the names of the Europeans and those of the 1943 Group. I knew Stanley Kirinde more intimately, not as an artist, but as a friend of the family who would quickly sketch pictures in books that had caught the fancy of us children. In the university, I had friends who talked of Shantha K. Herrath, some even in reverential terms. Especially those who liked art. It was then that I began to "see" him in the Divaina. Perhaps because we don’t have a culture where ordinary people are encouraged to study or appreciate art, we tend to be blind to newspaper art and even if we do pause awhile, the chances are that we will miss the name of the artist. In any case, I was at that age when the political cartoon was the only "illustration" that caught the eye. How could we not know Wijesoma, then? Looking back, I sometimes ask myself, "how could I have ‘missed’ Shantha K. Herrath?"

It is always interesting to meet people you’ve read or heard about. It is even more interesting to work with them, get to know them and see them not as legends, but as ordinary people who have extraordinary talent but nevertheless do not let this fact weigh down conversation or the general interaction with people. So it was with Shantha K. Herrath.

Two years is not enough to read a man. And yet, there are many things that I could tell about Shantha, especially about the human character that lives within and outside his creative work. But then again, this is not a biographical sketch of the man. It is not a personal note, but a short piece on how Shantha views art and his professional work, written against the backdrop of a book launch and an exhibition.

Shantha will be holding an exhibition of "Newspaper Art" at the Library Services Board Auditorium from 16-18 January. The opening of the exhibition at 3.00 pm on that day will coincide with the launching of his book, "A Collection of Pocket Cartoons". The book is not just a selection of Shantha’s pocket cartoons that have adorned the first page of the Divaina over the past decade and a half. It contains a history of the political cartoon as well as sketches of the more prominent cartoonists of the country. It is therefore a book that caters to both the political alert as well as the student of art and art history. The exhibition itself is a first in that never before has "newspaper art", as a genre, been exhibited in this manner.
Although one could say "newspapers, and therefore newspaper art, is ‘exhibited’ every day," there is a difference. One, we have got used to think that "reading" refers to running the eye over a string of words. "Art" has to come in frames and intended to hang on walls. On the other hand, newspapers have not been bypassed by the development of visual media. A word is also a picture, a page of a newspaper is a visual. This is why there are "layout artists" now. The TV generation demands something visually pleasing as a precondition for "agreeing" to peruse the content. This is why Shantha’s exhibition is different and indeed important, for it seeks to educate both the reading public and all those who involved in the media, including those who wish to pursue a career in journalism.



Shantha claims that if one doesn’t have even the most basic understanding, it is impossible to appreciate art or to associate with it. There is very little in our society to change this situation. "One cannot really be happy with the space for art, considering that there are only a few galleries even in Colombo. This exhibition is but an effort to share the experiences I have gathered in over 20 years of professional work with the public."
This is what Shantha has to say about the exhibition. "Newspapers are often read and then cast away. The worth of a newspaper is then measured by the bothal kaaraya. Can the worth of this art be weighed in terms of kilograms? Is the art of producing a newspaper really, ‘art’? What we are discussing through this exhibition is the art that is embedded in the art of bringing out a newspaper. Earlier, it was ‘heavy’ art that adorned the walls of art galleries. Today, we are hanging on these same walls, some of the creative art found in newspapers. Is there anything in this ‘art’ that qualifies it to hang on the walls of an art gallery? Take a look!"

What does Shantha have to say about art in general? We asked. "As far as I am concerned, I am still learning. This exhibition is a part of my education."

In his first exhibition Shantha had concentrated on paintings. Thereafter, he had moved on the sculpture portraits, tracings of temple paintings, prints and illustrations. Very early in his career Shantha had realised that there are many fields within "art". "There is applied art, visual art, commercial art, graphics, cartoons etc. They can be differentiated from one another in terms of the intended audience, the medium used, the purpose, the style and so on. What is emphasises in one form can be totally ignored in another."

Shantha has been working at Upali Newspapers Ltd. for around twenty years now. He has drawn cartoons, illustrated articles and short stories, experimented with various the layout and probably a hundred and one other things too. Perhaps, I am being biased towards a colleague and a friend, but I can’t help thinking that there is something distinct about Shantha’s work, something that separates it from that which is freely found in other newspapers. So I asked him to explain.


"This is something others have to judge. I am in the newspaper world. I am not a person who is content to work within the conventional limitations of a newspaper. I strive to extend these limits. I believe this is how I can contribute to and nourish my profession."

Shantha is a perfectionist. Striving for perfection is, I believe, the hallmark of any serious artist. This probably means that it is not easy to work with him. But then again, anyone who is serious about his/her work ought to realise that this is a price worth paying. A perfectionist he may be, but Shantha has never struck me as an arrogant person. He is a lifelong researcher, constantly keeping himself updated about both his profession and things related to art. "I have to admit that I am not satisfied with my work. So, whenever I have the time, I go in search of what is new in the world of art. I engage with the subject, and make an effort to appreciate these things. It is not important to me if any work of art is "better" or "worse", indeed whether it really qualifies for the label ‘art’ or not. But whatever it is that I take away, the feelings that they evoke in me, I work into my creations."
Like most people who are endowed with exceptional talent, Shantha is a teacher. He is ever generous when it comes to sharing what he knows, even with people who know next to nothing of art, such as I. And not just about art. A deeply religious man, in whose work there is an unmistakable trace of his long engagement with Buddhism, Shantha is often philosophical and in my experience of the man, tends to treat the ups and downs of his life with equanimity. Sometimes I even wonder what Shantha is doing stuck in a newspaper, given his extraordinary talent. "He could make more lasting contributions to our sensibilities if he became a full time artist," I often tell myself. Then again, he is a colleague on whom I depend much. This is not about how I see Shantha, I have to remind myself. It should be about his work, and that I am not competent to do. I take refuge in the easy out, "Let his work speak for itself."

2012/12/14

Leisure




Leisure


Shantha K. Herath 
Poetry art

 
Poetry art, by Shantha K. Herath will be held on February 8, 9, and 10 at the Public Library Art Gallery, Colombo 7

The question has often been asked, "What is Art?" According to one writer, it is a piece of work - writing, music, carving or painting - on which is manifested the intense passion of creatiivity that comes out of a person’s mind.
It has to be a creation that would bring out an aesthetic experience in the beholder.

The work of Shantha K. Herath fulfils this description. Shantha has developed into a painter who could certainly move human emotions Yet his path to becoming an accomplished painter was beset with trials and tribulations.

"Even my parents tried to dissuade me from taking to art" he once said. "I had such a time to convince my teachers and let them permit me to sit the Art paper at the GCE examination"

Shantha joined the "Divaina" as an illustrator and over the years he brought newspaper illustrations into the realm of art. With the sensitivity of a creative mind, he broadened the horizons of newspaper art and offered a new insight into illustrations, taking it away from mere decorative form.

Educated at Nugawela Maha Vidyalaya and at Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa, Shantha was expected to work towards a better future than as an artist. But, convinced that art was to be his mission in life, he left home to strike out on his own.

The Divaina gave him the opportunity to continue with his chosen vocation. He was befriended by Stanley Abeysinghe and H. A. Karunaratne, two well known artists and art teachers. Shantha acknowledges that these two, his unofficial ‘gurus’ taught him all he needed to know about art.

His other knowledge, he says, he obtained through books at the British Council and other libraries.

The Martin Wickremasinghe Truust gave him the opportunity to copy murals at the Kathaluwa Poorvarama Temple, and his employer, Upali Newspapers Limited, gave him the necessary leave to carry out this project

Shantha has copied these murals on 10 feet by 2 panels, and his rendition of these murals are faithful to the state of the paintings as they are today.

One incident in Shantha’s life stands out. He considers it a hilarious encounter with an art academician, held in high esteem in the country This person had watched Shantha at work, copying a mural and had asked him who was directing him to do this work.

Shantha replied that he did not see the need for any director. He was then asked from which university he had graduated, and he surprised the academician when he told him that he had no affinity with the world of academia.

Shantha is no mere stylist flaunting a banner of modern art to cover his insensibilities to human emotions, and to conceal his ignorance of the rudiments of drawing. He has proved that passionate concentration in any work could give exceellence in spite of the lack of a formal university education.

2012/12/01

මසිත


කඳු මුදුන




මසිත කොයිතරම් ඉස්සිලා බැලුවත් ඊට වඩා වැඩි දෙයක් පෙනුණෙ නැහැ. ඒත් යාම්තමට පෙනුණු ලඳු පඳුරු මුදුන්වල පාට පාට මල් පිපිල තිබුණා.
ජීවිතය කියන්නෙ මහා උස කන්දක් කියල මට දැනෙන්ඩ පටන්ගත්තෙ පුංචිකාලෙ ඉඳල. ඒ මම පුංචි කාලෙ ඉඳලම ජීවිතය දැකපු හින්ද. ජීවිතය මට දැනෙන්ඩ පටන් ගත් හින්දා. ඒ කාලෙ අපි හිටියෙ කන්ද පාමුල... හැබැයි අම්මයි තාත්තයි මාව උස්සලා මට පේනවට වඩා වැඩි දෙයක් පෙන්නුව.

ඒත් මං වගේම පුංචියට හිටපු හැමදෙනාම පුංචිකාලෙදි ජීවිතය දැක්කද කියන එක මට ප්‍රශ්නයක්. සමහර අම්මල තාත්තල විසින් තමන්ගෙ පුංචි දරුවන්ගෙ දෑස්, ජීවිතයේ ඇසි දිසි මානයෙන් ඈත් කරනවද කියල මට වෙලාවකට හිතෙනවා.

ම සිත මේ වගෙ සිතිවිලිවලින් පිරෙන්ඩ පටන්ගත්තෙ පසුගිය දවසක මම ගිය ත්‍රීවීල් ගමනක් හින්ද..
එක්තරා කඩවීදියක කඩයක් ඉදිරිපිට වූ අගුවෙ තරුණ විය ඉක්මවූ තරුණයෙක් ඉඳගෙන හිටියා. ඔහු ඇඳල හිටියෙ පිරිමි යට ඇඳුමක් තරමටම කෙටි වූ කලිසමක්. ඇඟිලි දෙක අතරෙ සිගරැට් එකක් නැතුවත් ඔහු හිටියෙ සිගරැට් එකක් උරන විදියක් පෙන්වමින්. ඒ අතරෙදි ඇඟිලි දෙක මොහොතකට ඉවතට ගෙන (හරියට සිගරැට් එකක් රඳවාගෙන ඉන්න විදියටම දෑඟිලි තියාගෙන) මොනවාදෝ කියමින් යම්තම් හිනාවුණා. හඬනඟා නෙමෙයි. තොල් අතරින් තමන්ට ම හිනාවෙනව වගේ.

මම ත්‍රීවීලර් එකට නඟින්න පෙර මිනිත්තුවක් විතර මේ පුද්ගලයා දිහා බලාගෙන හිටිය.

”මහත්තය දන්නවද?”

”මං අඳුනන්නෙ නෑ.. ඒත් මං කීප දවසක් දැකල තියෙනවා”

ත්‍රීවීලර් මල්ලි කතාව කියන්ඩ පටන්ගත්තෙ ඊට පස්සෙ.

”අම්මයි තාත්තයි හොඳ උගත් මිනිස්සු. දෙන්නම ලොකු රසසාවල් කෙරුවෙ. මේ වැඩිමල් දරුවා. නොදුන් සැපක් නැහැ. ඉගෙනගන්ඩත් පුළුවන්කම තිබුණා. ශිෂ්‍යත්ව විභාගෙත් පාස්වෙලා කොළඹ ඉස්කෝලෙට ගියා. මං කිව්වෙ මහත්තය අම්මල තාත්තල නොදුන් සැපක් නෑ කියල. ඒත් මහත්තය ඒ දෙන්නම ළමය ගැන හොයා බැලුවෙ නෑ.. කොළඹ ඉස්කෝලෙ යාළුවොත් එක්ක එකතුවෙලා කුඩු ගහන්ඩ පුරුදු වුණාලු. ඊට පස්සෙ එක එක දේවල් දොඩවන්ඩ පටන්ගත්තලු.

අම්මල තාත්තල කෙරුවෙ මොළේ නරක්වෙලා කියල අංගොඩ ගිහින් දාපු එකලු. එහෙදි ගහපු ඉන්ජෙක්ෂන්වල සැර ඉහට ගහල කියල තමයි මිනිස්සු කියන්නෙ...”

”කන්නෙ බොන්නෙ?”

”හරියටම දන්නෙ නෑ.. ඒත් සිගරැට් එකක්.. අරගෙන දෙන්නෙ නම් ඔය හරියෙ ඉන්න මිනිස්සු. රෑට මං හිතන්නෙ ගෙදර යනව.”

හුඟක් මාපියො කතාවට කියන්නෙ අඩුවක් පාඩුවක් නොකර උස්මහත් කෙරුවයි කියල. එහෙම නැත්නම් කියාවි අපි කරන්ඩ ඕනැ ඔක්කොම දේවල් කළා කියල. මොකක්ද මේ අඩුවක් පාඩුවක් නැතුව කෙරුවයි කියන එකේ අදහස? මසිත මගෙන් අහනවා.



ජීවිතය හරියාකාරව පෙන්නුවෙ නැත්නම් වෙන මොනව කළත් හරියන්නෙ නෑ කියල තමයි මසිත මට කියන්නෙ.

ශාන්ත කේ.හේරත් මගේ සහෝදරයකු වූ මිත්‍රයෙක්. ඔහු විසින් නිර්මාණය කරන ලද ළමා පොත් දෙකක් එළිදැක්වීමේ උත්සවයට සහභාගි වෙලා ශාලාවෙන් පිටතට එනකොට මසිත මොකක්දෝ ප්‍රමෝදයකින් පිරිලා තිබුණා.

ශාන්ත කොහොමටත් ඉතා ම නිර්මාණශීලී කාටූන් ශිල්පියෙක් කියල මම දැනගත්තෙ දිවයිනට සම්බන්ධ වුණු මුල් කාලෙදිමයි. ඔහු බොහොම ‘නීට් එකට’ වැඩ කරන කෙනෙක් බවත් මං දන්නවා.

”මං ශාන්ත එක්ක ගහගත්තෙ නැති ටික විතරයි”

මේ පොත්වල ප්‍රකාශකයා ඔහුගේ ස්තුති කතාවෙදි කිව්වා. ඒ අත්දැකීම මටත් තියෙනවා. ශාන්ත ඔහුගේ වැඩේට ‘සීරියස්’. ඒකට හේතුව ඒකයි.

ඒ උත්සවයෙදි ශාන්ත අපූරු අදහසක් ප්‍රකාශ කළා.

”මේ පොත් ටිකක් මිල අධිකයි කියල හිතෙන්ඩ පුළුවන්. ඒත් අපි පොඩිත්තන්ට දෙන්න ඕනෑ ගුණාත්මක දෙයක් මිසක ලාබ දෙයක් නෙමෙයි.”

ඒක ඇත්ත. ශාන්තගෙ පොත් දෙකම හරි ඉහළයි. ඒත් අපේ පුංචි කාලෙදි මෙහෙම කතන්දර පොත් තිබුණෙ නැහැ. ඒ වුණාට ආච්චිල, අම්මල අපට කතාන්දර කියල දුන්න. කතන්දර අහපු යුගයේ සිට කතන්දර කියවන යුගයක් දක්වා ඇවිල්ල. අහන එකද කියන එකද හොඳ කියල අහන එක මේ කාලෙ හැටියට අසාධාරණයි. මන්ද පුංචි ළමයින්ට කතන්දර කියන අම්මල, ආච්චිඅම්මල නැති හින්ද.

හැබැයි පොතක් පතක් ගන්ඩ කාසිපනම් නැති මිනිස්සු තමන්ගෙ දරුවන්ට ලාබ දෙයක් අරගෙන දෙන්නෙ ආදරේ අඩුකම හින්ද නම් නෙමෙයි කියල මසිත දිගින් දිගටම කියන්ඩ පටන්ගත්තා.
හැබැයි අරක්කු බෝතලේට රුපියල් දාහක් වියදම් කරල එක් දරුවකුගෙ පොතක් වෙනුවෙන් රුපියල් තුන්සීයක් වියදම් කරන්ඩ මැළිවෙන මිනිස්සු ගැන නම් ශාන්තගෙ කතාව හරියටම හරි.
ශාන්ත අර වගේ දෙයක් කියන්ඩ ඇත්තෙ ඒ වගේ මිනිස්සු ගැන හිතල වෙන්ඩ ඇති.
ම සිත මට කිව්වා.

මොනව වුණත් කතන්දර බලනව කියන්නෙ දරුවෙක් කන්ද පාමුල ඉඳල කන්ද මුදුනට අරගෙන යන දෙයක්. හැබැයි නඟින්ඩ වෙන්නෙ තනියම. කතන්දර අහනවා කියන්නෙ අම්මගෙ හරි ආච්චිඅම්මගේ අතේ එල්ලිලා කන්ද නඟිනව වගේ දෙයක්.


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