.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
George Keyt is Sri Lanka's most celebrated artist of the Twentieth Century. Keyt’s visual language combined European Modernist movements such as Cubism and Fauvism with South Asian fresco techniques from the Ajanta and Sigiriya caves. However, his subject matter remained rooted in local tradition and engaged with themes from both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.
Lot 458 from 1963 emphasizes female nudity and is telling of Keyt’s preoccupation with sculptures from Hindu temples that depicted intimate human relationships. Lot 459 from 1974 is a fine example of work that was heavily influenced by Cubist techniques. In both these paintings, the artist has used bold geometric forms and calligraphic lines to achieve a "highly personal curvilinear rhythm, contrasting graceful movements, delineation of round and flat forms on the same picture plane and a feeling of highly intense sensuality." (L.P. Sihare, 'Keyt - Asian Painter', George Keyt, A Centennial Anthology, Colombo, 2001, p. 31)
Many of Keyt's works depicted couples from Hindu mythology such as Shiva-Paravati, Ram-Sita and most commonly Krishna-Radha. Besides his paintings, Keyt was also known for his literary works such as his translation of the Twelfth Century Sanskrit poem, Gita Govinda into English and Sinhalese. Gita Govinda celebrates the relationship between the divine Krishna and his gopis (female cow herders), in particular his beloved Radha. To accompany his text, Keyt executed a suite of elegant line drawings and illustrations that bear resemblance to his paintings in their early form. Ratikeli (lot 459) portrays Krishna and Radha in a loving embrace, while Untitled (lot 458) depicts a woman leaning against a sage-like man. The body language between Keyt's male and female figures makes it highly likely that these paintings are interpretations of the mythological tales he frequently drew from to represent the universality of love.
Lot 458 from 1963 emphasizes female nudity and is telling of Keyt’s preoccupation with sculptures from Hindu temples that depicted intimate human relationships. Lot 459 from 1974 is a fine example of work that was heavily influenced by Cubist techniques. In both these paintings, the artist has used bold geometric forms and calligraphic lines to achieve a "highly personal curvilinear rhythm, contrasting graceful movements, delineation of round and flat forms on the same picture plane and a feeling of highly intense sensuality." (L.P. Sihare, 'Keyt - Asian Painter', George Keyt, A Centennial Anthology, Colombo, 2001, p. 31)
Many of Keyt's works depicted couples from Hindu mythology such as Shiva-Paravati, Ram-Sita and most commonly Krishna-Radha. Besides his paintings, Keyt was also known for his literary works such as his translation of the Twelfth Century Sanskrit poem, Gita Govinda into English and Sinhalese. Gita Govinda celebrates the relationship between the divine Krishna and his gopis (female cow herders), in particular his beloved Radha. To accompany his text, Keyt executed a suite of elegant line drawings and illustrations that bear resemblance to his paintings in their early form. Ratikeli (lot 459) portrays Krishna and Radha in a loving embrace, while Untitled (lot 458) depicts a woman leaning against a sage-like man. The body language between Keyt's male and female figures makes it highly likely that these paintings are interpretations of the mythological tales he frequently drew from to represent the universality of love.