Lot 55 | 20 February 2022

 

 

 

LOT 55

SENAKA SENANAYAKE

B. Sri Lanka, 1951

Red Horses, 1962

Signed and dated “Senaka Senanayake, Feb 1962” on lower right

Oil on canvas

106 x 137 cm

Private Collection, USA

RM 50,000 – 120,000

Senaka achieved early fame as a child prodigy, whose work was first exhibited in Colombo in the late 1950s. He then held his first international one man show in New York at the age of ten. He continued to paint and as a teenager held numerous exhibitions in Sri Lanka as well as Europe, the USA and Asia. It was after he received formal training at Yale University, where he studied Art and Architecture, that he decided to dedicate his life to painting. After graduating he moved back to Sri Lanka, where he has since established himself as one of the region’s most important living artists. One of Senaka’s objectives is to establish a connection with everyone that encounters his work. “Many times, people walk be a piece of art and don’t respont… I want my paintings to talk. Everyone from a street sweeper to a university professor should be able to relate to my art.” Each of his canvases takes between 2-3 weeks to complete. Layer upon layer of paint is added, creating an incredible depth to the colours and imparting a rich feel the works which appear to have an almost luminescent quality to them.