by Seneka Abeyratne

Dr SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda’s new art history book, “George Keyt – The Absence of a Desired Image,” provides fascinating insights into the life and work of Sri Lanka’s greatest artist. The book, published by the Taprobane Collection, is 464 pages long from cover to cover with the Appendices (expertly compiled by Uditha Devapriya) comprising about 90 pages. A hefty piece of non-fiction, it is skillfully crafted with meticulous attention paid to detail. Tammita Delgoda has produced a work of art – a tour de force that grips the reader and captures the imagination like an epic novel. Thanks to the author’s breezy writing style and great zest for story-telling, it moves at a brisk pace and takes us on an unforgettable journey. The book’s design is exquisite, especially in respect of the delicate interplay between stylish narrative and ravishing visual imagery.

The book could be viewed as a marvelous tapestry of the painter’s journey through life created by a master craftsman. We discover that not only was Keyt a great, self-taught artist but a brilliant poet, scholar, and linguist as well. How a single individual could excel in so many different fields is something to behold. Here was someone who danced ecstatically to the music of his soul.

Keyt died at the age of 92 and his life spanned all ten decades of the previous century. Though he was playful in his youth, he became a studious and serious-minded individual after leaving school. As The Absence of a Desired Image demonstrates, in terms of range and versatility, Keyt’s artistic and literary output was phenomenal. The book has 18 engrossing chapters plus a lucid Introduction that contains a compact literature review. It is worthwhile noting that several eminent authors have written books on George Keyt including the Indian art historian, critic and curator, Yasodhara Dalmia, whose book is entitled, Life and Times of George Keyt (2017).

Tammita-Delgoda does an excellent job in revealing the multifaceted nature of Keyt’s personality as well as his work. Though Keyt the painter is the central theme of his book, there are several sub-themes, such as Keyt the poet, Keyt the scholar, Keyt the writer, Keyt the translator, and Keyt the illustrator, which also receive close attention. Arguably, The Absence of a Desired Image goes further than any other book on Keyt in terms of weaving the man and his work into a composite whole.

An attractive feature of this weighty tome is that Keyt’s life is interwoven with Sri Lanka’s history, culture, and social fabric. We learn a great deal not only about Keyt’s family background and personal life, but also about how two great religions – Buddhism and Hinduism – influenced his work and his mindset. Keyt was a Burgher and so was his closest friend, Lionel Wendt – Sri Lanka’s greatest photographer. Accordingly, the book’s observations on and impressions of the Burgher community in the first half of the 20^th century are highly pertinent to the overarching theme – Keyt the painter.

Because India and Keyt’s life were inextricably linked, the book provides a comprehensive account of how Indian culture influenced Keyt and vice versa. The adroit manner in which it captures the shades and nuances of this synergistic interaction is laudable. But if Keyt ultimately turned to cubism and gave it a distinct Sri Lankan flavor, it was largely due to the influence of Picasso, an artist that he deeply revered.

The focus of Chapter I is the impact that Sri Lanka’s transition from British colonial rule to self-rule had on Keyt’s life. “Confronted with the turmoil of Independent Sri Lanka, Keyt deliberately withdrew into a private world of idyllic romance, divine fantasy and literary symbolism.”

Chapter II contains a fine description of Keyt’s formative years at Trinity College, where students were encouraged to develop their creative, intellectual and artistic skills. Though Keyt never passed any exams, he did win the College Art Prize at age fourteen. And he began to read and write poetry.

In Chapter III we learn how Keyt began studying Buddhism and Pali after leaving school. The Keyt family lived near the Malwatte Vihara, overlooking Kandy Lake, and the scholar monk and poet, Ven. Pinnawela Dheerananda, became Keyt’s mentor.

Chapter IV tells us that when Keyt began to paint, his initial focus was the rhythms and routines of life in Buddhist temples. Meanwhile, he produced many essays and illustrations for various magazines. “His first major literary work was entitled Poetry from the Sinhalese (1938).”

Chapter V indicates that his career as an artist began to take off in his late twenties. “Keyt’s early paintings depicted the landscape and people of Kandy. Naturalistic and representative, they are very carefully structured and solidly organized …” If he was not painting, he was writing poetry. He published several poems in the 1930s, including Image in Absence.

The painter married Ruth Jansz in 1930 by whom he had two daughters. Though Ruth was a devoted wife and mother, Keyt was unfaithful to her, and their marriage broke down before the decade ended. He was in love with Lucia, his daughter’s nanny. Abandoning his family, he went to live with Lucia in her village, Pilawela. Lucia (also known as Pilawela Menike) took good care of him and bore him two sons. The couple relocated several times and eventually made Sirimalwatte (a village in Kandy) their home in 1950.

George Keyt

As explained in Chapter VI, “George Keyt was the first contemporary painter to derive inspiration from the wellspring of Sri Lanka’s ancient tradition.” By carefully studying the Sigiriya frescoes, he mastered the art of drawing the vaka deka, double curve. In the 1930s he began to abandon naturalism and representation in favor of the curving line. From then on, sweeping curves and counter curves became a prominent feature of his work. “Two women, painted during the 1930s, shows how integral the curving line was to Keyt’s work …”

The culture of Polonnaruwa during the Middle Ages was an amalgam of Buddhism and Hinduism and Keyt was profoundly influenced by the bronze images of Hindu deities produced by the cholas. “The heads of many of Keyt’s figures, both male and female, were inspired by the Polonnaruwa bronzes. Abstracted and sharply drawn, with their long faces, pointed noses and heavy lidded eyes, many of them resemble Shiva and Parvati.” Examples of Keyt’s paintings that demonstrate these stylized features are Nayika and The Flutist.

Keyt had in-depth knowledge of Kandyan Buddhist art. “Ian Goonetileke notes that the wall paintings of Kandy were a major factor in the artistic language which Keyt evolved for himself.” For example, Gotaimbara closely resembles a Kandyan mural in style, form and color scheme.

Chapter VII , written with verve and sensitivity, is about Keyt and his best friend – the pianist, photographer, critic and cinematographer, Lionel Wendt. If Wendt opened Keyt’s eyes to the world of modernism, Keyt introduced Wendt to the world of Kandyan dance.

Chapter VIII provides a cogent analysis of Keyt’s Kandyan village paintings such as Ploughing, Harvest, Man with Bull, Woman with Parasol, Fruit Seller in respect of style, form, color, and thematic content. It also elaborates upon Keyt’s fascination with Kandyan dance. “Over the years, Keyt became deeply versed in the arts and drumming. His essay, Kandyan Dancing (1953), provides a comprehensive introduction to the world of Sinhala dance.”

As elucidated in Chapter IX, it was through the books, journals and magazines that Lionel Wendt shared with Keyt that the latter discovered modernism. Of these, the most important was Cahiers d’Art, which showcased the work of leading European modern artists. “Keyt’s discovery of cubism caused him to discard the art of representation. By the 1930s his style had changed. Like Picasso, he combined distortion with bold outline. Using crisp, heavy lines, he made the continuing line a defining feature, merging and fusing figures together.” The influence of other European modern artists such as Léger, Braque, Derain and Matisse can also be observed in his work. For example, Matisse’s Odalisque (1920-21) inspired Keyt to paint Reclining Woman almost fifty years later.

Chapter X provides useful information on the formation of the Ceylon Society of Arts as well as the 1943 Group consisting of prominent artists excluded by the Ceylon Society, including Ivan Peries, George Keyt, Justin Daraniyagala, and Harry Peiris. The idea for the establishment of this Group came from Ivan Peries and was executed by Lionel Wendt. “The 43 Group became Asia’s first modern art movement. For Lionel Wendt it was a great moment of fulfillment which embodied the climax of his artistic career …”

From Chapter XI we learn the 43 Group became famous due to its authentic blend of traditional forms with modern Western influence. “In the years which followed Independence, the 43 Group held a series of regular exhibitions which gradually established modern art in Sri Lanka. By the early fifties, the 43 Group was winning international acclaim and showing its work in Europe.” Keyt’s good friend, Ian Goonetileke (a well-known scholar and bibliographer,), observed that though the core members of the 43 Group were highly gifted, they were not genuinely rooted in their culture, which is why the Group disintegrated in the late sixties. But as this book points out, the only exception was George Keyt.

“Crossing the boundaries of alienation, Keyt was able to find a new truth and forge a relationship with his environment. This endowed his work with the enduring relevance which exists to this day.”

Chapter XII provides a fascinating account of how Keyt became more and more “Indian” in respect of his mindset as well as his art. After his first visit to India in 1939, he kept going back. In 2021 Tammita-Delgoda interviewed Keyt’s elder daughter, Diana Keyt, who said: “Once he went to India, he changed and converted to Hinduism. He became a follower of Krishna. Hinduism came to exercise a bigger influence on him. In the end it won over Buddhism.” The painter lived in India from 1946 to 1949.

 Ratikeli is a fine example of a Keyt painting inspired by Hindu mythology. The two great Sanskrit epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabarata, also had a profound impact on his work. This chapter demonstrates with the assistance of drawings and paintings the significant extent to which the painter was also inspired by Indian art, sculpture, music, and dancing.

One of the most nostalgic sections in this book is Chapter XIII, where the Indian factor continues to receive attention. Keyt’s circle of friends during his three-year stay in India (1946-49) included Mulk Raj Anand, Minette de Silva, and her sister Marcia (Anil). From 1946 to 1948, Anil was the assistant editor and Minette, the architectural editor of Marg. During this time Lionel Wendt, Geoge Keyt, and the 43 Group as a whole figured prominently in this prestigious magazine.

The trio (Anand and the de Silva sisters) were the chief organizers of Keyt’s first ever solo international exhibition at the Convocation Hall in Bombay in 1947. The exhibition, which featured 64 paintings as well as a comprehensive catalogue, was lauded by both Indian and foreign critics. “What resonated most was the way in which Keyt had absorbed and depicted the Indian heritage.” According to his biographer, Martin Russel (as per his book, George Keyt) as well as the art historian William Archer (as per his book, India and Modern Art), Keyt’s contribution to the evolution of modern art in India was seminal. (Both authors, by the way, were British.)

In 1947 Keyt published an illustrated version of Gita Govinda, an epic poem recounting the loves of Radha and Krishna which he had rendered from the Sanskrit. “Directly linked to Keyt’s portrayal of love, it became the subject for some of his most powerful erotic paintings.” A notable example, in this regard, is Rasa Lila, the Dance of Divine Love. Keyt, incidentally, had a passionate affair with one Barbara Smith – “an attractive and sophisticated woman of Anglo-Indian descent.” A well-known editor with the Oxford University Press, she was based in Bombay.

As per Chapter XIV, the exhibition at the Convocation Hall opened many other doors for this preeminent Sri Lankan artist. His solo exhibition in New Delhi in 1952, which featured 72 paintings, was a great success. “In the years since Bombay, Keyt’s work had become embedded in the Indian consciousness. In new Delhi he was hailed as a product of the Indian tradition.” Mulk Raj Anand’s The Story of India (1948) and well as A.S. Raman’s Tales from Indian Mythology (1961) were illustrated by Keyt. We note that though the two authors were Indian, the illustrator was Sri Lankan.

In Chapter XV we return to Sirimalwatte and to Keyt’s work based on rural life and Sinhalese traditions, culture and folklore. “In much the same way as he had done with his great murals at the Gotami Vihare, Keyt brought the classical inheritance of the country in visual form.” The use of acrylics from the seventies onwards made his colors much brighter and augmented the decorative beauty of his paintings.

During the second half of the 20^th century his paintings found buyers in every part of the world and his work was featured in numerous foreign journals, magazines, and newspapers. “He had become famous, a national and international celebrity.” He held several solo exhibitions in Sri Lanka and India and three in London as well. In 1977 he was honored with a special Felicitation Volume to mark his 75^th birthday and in 1988, the George Keyt Foundation was established to promote and publicize his work.

We note from Chapters XVI and XVII that female nudity, lesbianism, and unbridled sexuality are the central, interlocking themes in a significant number of Keyt’s paintings. “At the core of his treatment is the line and curve. Key’s mastery of the curving line enables him to create sweeping, all engrossing curves which capture the lush sexuality of a woman’s body. With the curve as his foundation, Keyt combines line with rhythm, evolving a rhythmic line of his very own.” In this regard, Lovers – an acrylic painting depicting a lesbian couple – is one of his most stylish works.

Chapter XVIII, the most poignant section in the book, is where we learn that Keyt eventually left his second wife for a young Indian woman, Kusum Narayan, whom he married in 1973 by converting to Islam. The couple actually stayed in Sirimalwatte for a while before moving to the Western Province. The cities they lived in included Nugegoda and Galle. In 1992, they returned to Sirimalwatte and Pinawela Menike graciously accepted them. Keyt’s health began to deteriorate and his life came to an end in July 1993. This great modern artist, who was fondly known as the Asian Picasso, was so highly regarded in his homeland that he was given a state funeral in Colombo.

The Appendices are breathtaking, especially the Plates section where paintings, drawings and other works by Keyt are featured for the first time in any formal publication. It is truly the icing on the cake.

“George Keyt: Absence of a Desired Image” is available for sale at leading bookstores across the country. For details on direct purchases of the book, you can contact the publishers, Taprobane Collection, at shamilp54@gmail.com.