kandyan Art style

lakshi sithara
3 min readMay 18, 2021

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The sculptures of the Kandy period are made in a different style from the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa eras and similar to the Gampola period. The mediums used for sculpture in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa eras have changed completely by the time of Kandy, and clay, brick, plaster, wood, gold, silver, copper, brass and ivory have been widely used for sculpture in this period. Sculptures of this period can be divided into idols and Buddha statues, and large, medium-sized and very small-sized Buddha statues have been created. In the same way, Buddha statues should be erected, standing and lying in a three-pronged posture. It seems that the serenity, kindness and majesty of the Buddha statue in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa eras have been replaced by magnificence and external beauty.

The common features of the Buddha statues of this era are the liquid-like chivara, the application of the head, the creation of the Pannarabha Mandala in the shape of a horseshoe, and the opening of the eyes. Making Buddha statues out of wood and finishing them with clay or plaster is one of the most popular activities in the creation of Buddha statues in this era. The Buddha statues of the Dambulu Vihara, the Degaldoruwa, the Silver Temple, the Kelaniya, the Mulgirigala temples etc.

Artist of kandyan style

Artists of the Kandyan period belonged to the Kottalbadda industrial class. They have directly contributed to the development of painting in the Kandy era. Dewaragampala Silwatthana, Devendra Mulawariya belongs to the Kandy artist lineage. According to LTTE Manju Sri, Devendra Mulawariya is a member of the Devinuwara lineage of artists. Neelagama Patabanda, Koswatta Siththara Naide and Dewaragampola Silwattana are two-door artists. King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe served at the Devaragampola Sylvester. He was also a good associate of the Nayakkar dynasty. King Naide II of Colombo, who belonged to the Naide dynasty, served. Madduma Naide, a resident of the reign of Wimaladharmasuriya II. King Naide Narendrasinghe of Galle served. Ulladupitiya artist, Gannoruwe Navaratne Dandaya, Mangalagama Neelawala Muhandiram, Serugolla artist Naide and Pallekumbura Unnanse were also artists of this time. Bhimappu Gurunnance, who lived in the southern part of the country at that time, was a descendant of Welitara. Solius Mendis is also a disciple of a painter of the Sands generation. Murals of Purvarama Vihara in Kathaluwe were painted by the Kadolgalle artists. Other artists who lived at that time were Beddewatte Dino Sittara, Gara Duwe Maha Sittara, Galupiyadde Babun, Kirinde Sheelananda Thera, Bibile Sittara Naide, Chandrasekara Devapathidevanarayana Bhuvanekabahu Sittara Naide.

technology of kandyan Art style

The techniques used by the artisans of this time were special. The durability of the paintings was expected by arranging the plaster in a manner suitable for painting on the walls. One tactic is to mix the mortar with the lime and bitter peel liquid. Coconut fiber, Aralu infused Bo skins were added to the finely chopped mixture and Aralu and water were added to make the mortar. The preparation of plaster for carvings was seen in a different form.

Natural colors were also used in the color scheme. The white color was formed from five species of soil derived from spiders. The coconut was blackened by finely crushing the charcoal. The red color was obtained by finely crushing the gurugal. Apart from this, Sadilingam red has been obtained from India. The milk of the Gokatu tree turned yellow, the blue wrap turned blue by melting the green juice, and the green color was obtained by using the green juice of Aguna Ranawara and Midella. Color stability was expected by mixing dill leaves. Tam and I used watercolors for building paintings and white-and-black for color variations.

A successful technique used to protect paintings from moisture was to paint the walls with varnish. This was also useful for decorating paintings. Here are some tips to help you get started: Pure gum powder was mixed with castor oil and left to dry for several times, then applied as a gourd dye, and the cappuccino was thinly coated with a leaf paste.

Different media were used for the brushes in drawing. Animal fur grasses were the mainstay there. The use of soft squirrel fur and cat fur led to fine lines. Fence roots, oily grass and tufted fibers were also used for the brushes.

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