Tilake Abeysinghe

Cavaliere Tilake Abeysinghe
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Born	(1929-03-28)March 28, 1929
Died	September 24, 2022(2022-09-24) (aged 93)
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Citizenship	Sri Lanka
Occupation	Painter sculptor

Cavaliere Tilake Abeysinghe (28 March 1929 – 24 September 2022), better known as Tilake, was an internationally reputed Sri Lankan painter and sculptor. Using traditional media such as oil on canvas and water colors, and sculpting in bronze, cement, clay and plaster-of-paris, Tilake fused oriental ethos with western sensuality in his art pieces.

Tilake was a graduate of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan, where he studied painting and sculpture under masters Domenico Cantatore and Mario Marini. After graduation from the academy, he held exhibitions at art centres in Italy and Switzerland and established his own Atelier in Milan in 1980. In a professional career spanning over 70 years, he held 83 one-man exhibitions and represented Sri Lanka in several international exhibitions and producing over 250 original works of art.

His major works include a 25-foot-high sculpture at the Italian embassy in Colombo, an 85-foot mural spanning the entire breadth of the Standard Chartered Bank building in Colombo, a large mural in bas-relief at the American Express Bank in Colombo, a 10-foot-tall bronze statue of Capt. C. P. J. Seneviratne at GiranduruKotte, a life-size statue of the Principal D. J. Kumarage of Rahula College in Matara, a bust of Sri Jawaharlal Nehru at the Indian High Commission in Colombo and several large paintings, portraits and a 12-foot sculptured monument for the Central Bank in Colombo.

Tilake Abeysinghe was awarded several accolades including first prize for designing the Buddha Jayanti Stamp (1955), the Gold award for the most outstanding personality for aesthetic art by Lions International (1984), the Kalapathi award of Sri Lanka Society of Arts (1988), the Gold award at the Japan Sri Lanka Exhibition (1993), Vishwa Prasadini (1995) and Ruhunu Puthra award (2000). In 1984 he was honoured with the prestigious title of “Cavaliere of the Order of Merit" (knighthood) by the Italian Government for his services to art and Sri Lankan-Italian cultural relations.

Tilake passed away from heart failure at age 93 in his home in Toronto, Canada.

Born	Cavaliere Tilake Abeysinghe 28 March 1929 Hakmana, British Ceylon
Died	24 September 2022 (aged 93) Toronto, Canada
Known for	Sculpture, and painting
Movement	Modernism

Early life

Tilake, was born in Hakmana, in British Ceylon as Gunatilake Samaratunga Abeysinghe. Tilake was the nickname his wife Padma fondly called him and the name he would eventually use throughout his life. Tilake's tale of painting goes back to his childhood spent in the southern village of Karathota, etching on little scraps of paper picked at random, and taking inspiration from the forests, lakes and paddy fields in southern Sri Lanka.

Tilake lost his mother during the birth of her second child when he was 2 years old. In an effort to maintain strong family ties, his father (the local village principal) intended to marry his mother's sister. A potential match with the daughter of a local shopkeeper was rejected for this reason, provoking anger. It is said that Tilake's father was poisoned in retaliation for refusing her hand in marriage, leaving his 10-year-old son an orphan. His grandmother raised him and paid for his education at Rahula College in Matara before he attended St. Sylvester's College in Kandy for his advanced studies. He would visit his distant relatives and met his future wife Padma at a wedding.

St. Sylvester's College, run by Benedictine monks, exposed Tilake to christian artwork and culture all the while he was visiting Buddhist art|buddhist temples such as Degaldoruwa Raja Maha Vihara which harboured Kandyan style murals. He also was inspired by the wood carvings on the pillars in the Embekka Devalaya and the architecture of the cathedral Lankatilaka Vihara. Tilake's talent was recognized by his art teachers who exposed him to European art, specifically the work of the renaissance artists and the later romantics, Impressionism|impressionists and modernists. Tilake joined the Survey Department as a draftsman while studying at Heywood College of Fine Arts in Colombo.

Career

Early Career

While enrolled in the Heywood College of Fine Arts (1951-1955) on scholarship from the Indian government, Tilake excelled and won several first prize awards after exhibiting his work in art galleries. In 1956, Tilake won the competition for the Buddha Jayanti Stamp (Commemorative stamp for 2500th year anniversary of Gautama Buddha|Buddha's birth) and rose to national prominence in Sri Lanka. His talent soon earned him a postgraduate scholarship to the Academia Di Belle Arte di Brera in Milan, Italy, where he studied painting under professor Dominico Contatore and Dino Lanaro, and sculpture with sculptor Mario Marini. Domenico and Marino instructed him on how to handle human and other forms and create the illusion of movement through lines by using bold, harmonious colors without fear. Domenico was similar to a father to him, planning and caring for his future. If Tilake missed class for any reason, he would go to Domenico's home to complete the lesson. In his final year, Domenico persuaded him to remain in academia as a teacher, where he could eventually become a professor. However, Tilake was unable to accept the offer due to his familial responsibilities. Tilake would eventually return to Milan to establish his own Atelier in 1980.

On weekends and holidays, Tilake frequented the renowned art galleries in Europe, including the Louvre, Tate and national galleries, as well as the Prado in Spain. Upon graduating with distinction in 1961, Tilake exhibited at the annual art exhibition in Milan in 1962 (meeting abstract painter Carlo Carrà) before returning home to establish himself as a major player in the Sri Lankan art scene.

Solo Career

Tilake lead his first one man art exhibition in 1967 in Sri Lanka, beginning a long career of 83 successful one man art exhibitions. In addition to Sri Lanka, Italy, and Switzerland, Tilake's art pieces have been exhibited in Toronto, Sao Paolo, Montreal, New Delhi, Dhaka, Fukuoka, Osaka, Karachi, Barcelona, Paris, Beijing, Copenhagen, Bonn, Hamburg and London. In Sri Lanka, Tilake exhibited his work most frequently at Mount Lavinia Hotel, Galle Face Hotel, the Closenberg Hotel, Hotel Oberoi, and the Lionel Wendt Art Centre. Tilake's exhibitions have been opened by the likes of Dr. P. R. Anthonis, professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, professor Cyril Ponamperuma, education minister I. M. R. A. Iriyagolle, ambassador Franco Micieli de Biase, Edwin Ariyadasa, A. S. Jayawardena and writer Martin Wickramasinghe. Tilake owned art studios in both Milan and Zurich.

Some of Tilake's major works include murals at the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence, American Express Bank, Colombo and Standard Chartered Bank, Colombo, a 10 feet high bronze statue of Capt. C. P. J. Seneviratne at Giranduru Kotte, the bust of Sri Jawaharalal Nehru at the Indian High Commission, a life-size statue of the Principal D. J. Kumarage of Rahula College in Matara, and portrait paintings of General Sepala Attygalle and General Nalin Seneviratne|Nalin Seneviratne. Tilake also created a 25 foot high column of five sculpted female figures and a mural of Roman Emperor Claudius with the first Sri Lankan trade delegation from Annuradhapura to Rome in 45AD at the Italian embassy in Colombo. The Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Andreotti, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister A.C.S. Hameed, and Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Bruno Corti honoured Tilake with the singular title of “Cavaliere of the Order of Merit" (Knighthood) for his services to art and Sri Lankan-Italian cultural relations. Tilake was also the portrait painter for governors of the Central Bank, including A. S. Jayawardena. Furthermore, Tilake sculpted a 12 foot memorial statue to pay tribute to the employees who lost their lives in the bomb explosion on January 31, 1996 at the Central Bank Headquarters after proposition from governor A. S. Jayawardene. In recognition of his immense contribution to the realm of fine arts, the government of Sri Lanka established Tilake Abeysinghe Foundation in 2001 through a special enactment in parliament. Tilake Abeysinghe was offered a permanent gallery to exhibit his art at Mount Lavinia Hotel in Colombo, being the first time that a Sri Lankan artist had been offered so by any institution. The hotel gallery devoted a portion of the lower lobby for the display of his work including over 90 paintings and several sculptures. In 2001, Tilake held his largest art exhibition in Sri Lanka including over 200 paintings of oil on canvas, 200 sketches of charcoal drawings, water colours and oil on foil paintings plus 40 sculptures spread over three floors and a court yard of the Banking Studies building complex of the Central Bank in Rajagiriya. In addition to this exhibition, Tilake held a series of lectures on art at the University of the Visual and Performing Arts|Institute of Aesthetic Studies in Colombo alongside other talented artists such as David Paynter.

Tilake's last four art exhibitions were held exclusively in Canada beginning in Labrador City, Newfoundland in 2005. Organized by Labrador Art and Culture Center, the event received national coverage by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) through its hourly news bulletins and a live interview between senior broadcaster Mike Power and Tilake. Tilake was presented with a gold medal by the mayor of Labrador city in appreciation of his work. Tilake later held three one man exhibitions in Toronto, Ontario from which all proceeds of art sales were donated to Toronto Maha Vihara Buddhist Temple, Brampton Buddhist Temple and various fundraising efforts for Sri Lanka.

Philosophy

Tilake found immense pleasure in expressing his inner self on the canvas. Tilake's artistic inspiration derives from the simplicity of village life, as he always had to say “I am a villager” all throughout his life. His works exhibit form simplicity and colour economy. They are an unconscious reflection of his own life philosophy, which is that the simpler you keep your life, the happier you will be. This attitude towards life, which is the germinal theme of his art, was tempered in the crucible of the finest art schools of Europe, where he refined his technique, and from this fusion of east and west emerged Tilake's art style.

Tilake has been always an independent artist whose vision was never shaped by commercialism. Tilake created abstract, semi-abstract and human form inspired paintings and sculptures.

Feminine Form

Tilake Abeysinghe drew abundant inspiration from the graceful feminine form in his art. Tilake's work reflects the precision that lines move from contours to curves highlighting the hidden graces of the female anatomy, enhancing the emotional intimacy as it moves. These peaceful studies of human relationship, a kind of tribute to the beauty of the feminine graces. The mono colour visions of the seductive figures speak volumes in their silent gazes they remain under control and with modesty as they move on. They do not provide his nudes any moral or religious justification. They are there for their own sake for every one to see and praise the creator for his bounties his pictorial structure of the nudes is related to all structures which provide the basics in art and architecture, and are part of human experience.

Tilake is quoted as explaining, “I see the female figure as the most beautiful thing on earth, far surpassing all other miracles of creation. When i begin to think seriously about this, I change my style from abstract art.”

Personal life

Tilake was married to Padma until her passing in 2019. Padma had always been a subtle but effective force in his life, encouraging him to achieve greater heights. Tilake had reserves of patience, care, and comfort, but most importantly, he took pride in his work. They had 7 children together, with their youngest son Lochana passing away at 21 years old from complications after Malaria infection. When his son Lochana became gravely ill, Tilake abandoned everything to find a cure. He sent blood for transfusion to the United Kingdom and took Lochana to Singapore for several weeks to investigate new treatments. The loss of Lochana ultimately caused Tilake such anguish that he suffered a right-sided paralytic stroke and a heart attack in 1997. Tilake, determined to continue his passion for art, taught himself to write, paint, and sculpt with his left hand.

Tilake lived with his daughter Dr. Chitralekha Abeysinghe in Toronto until he passed away on September 24, 2022.

Awards

• 1956 - First Prize Buddha Jayanti Stamp
• 1962 - President's Prize Ceylon Society of Arts
• 1984 - Cavaliere of the Order of Merit by the Italian Government for Services to Art
• 1984 - Gold Award for Most Outstanding Personality for Aesthetic Art by Lions International
• 1988 - Kalapathi Award of the Ceylon Society of Arts
• 1993 - Gold Award at Japan Sri Lanka Exhibition
• 1995 - Vishwa Prasadini Award
• 2000 - Ruhunu Puthra Award
• 2003 - Honoured by the University of Ruhuna along with other Sons of Ruhuna at a felicitation ceremony

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