Keeper of Tradition Painting

Realistic historical portraits and landscapes are the subject of Nilantha Vidanarachchi’s paintings. He seems to have found his life’s purpose through his passion for art, and represents the world through a variety of expressive brush strokes. Through Nilantha’s paintings he has developed a close kinship with the modern world and tradition, and visualizes it beautifully and expressively. His imagination and creativity are made to contend with expressive textures that he creates in his work. These graphically striking textures, characterize his artwork with a sense of physicality and tactility. Working with a range of mixed media, Nilantha employs dark backgrounds and warm colors to capture the essence of the paintings of the Renaissance period. Although he is deeply inspired by the art of the Renaissance period, his paintings are also characterized by contemporary art. His work transforms standard notions of traditional art into a uniquely expressive form, while the colors and stories of his artwork rejuvenate the eye of the viewer to create visual impact. Nilantha’s paintings are perfected and crafted by his self-taught knowledge in painting. The gestural brush-strokes and mark-making leave an impression of tactile emotion in his artwork, while his inner impulses are splashed across the canvas while it is deeply rooted in culture, tradition and meditation. He also says that Frans Hals’s and Joseph Zbukvic’s fluid brushwork approach has encouraged the stylization of his portrait artwork, while he is also inspired by the realistic observation of the physical and emotional human state of Caravaggio that incorporates dramatized lighting. Nilantha’s paintings also follow the art style of traditional Sri Lankan Buddhist art in the paintings of the Lankatilaka Vihara. He feels as if though his inner soul rejoices as he engages himself in painting. This is apparent when his paintings form into a multitude of small facets that reflect a love for art, history and culture. Nilantha Vidanarachchi’s paintings are truly revolutionary!