RDS Recommends with Arjuna Gunarathne
Arjuna Gunarathne was born in Sri Lanka in 1976 and currently lives and works in London. His artistic practice marries Eastern and Western traditions to present unique works focussing on political, social and personal experience. Arjuna graduated from The Drawing Year in 2018.
London
My inspiration comes from looking, seeing, and observing individuals, talking to them and listening to their conversations in a cosmopolitan community - London's busy streets, green spaces, towns and cities. People often live in tall buildings and are isolated from the fast-moving surroundings but I love visiting Borough Market, Covent Garden, Hampstead Heath, the surroundings of Kings Cross Station.
I think it is natural for any artist to draw their living surroundings. Having sketched public places many times, they are incredible places to capture the buzz, smell, noise and the colour of a busy urban life. Hampstead Heath, I have included in many of my landscape paintings. Also, it is one of the places that many artists were inspired to write stories and create master pieces.
Hampstead Heath, London
© Arjuna Gunarathne
Galleries, Museums and Exhibitions
I like to visit museums and galleries as a habit. Visiting the British Museum, National Gallery and Tate as regularly as I can is vital for me. I also like to revisit artworks and exhibitions, seeing them again and and makes me rethink my own practice.
I saw Michelangelo The Last Decades at British Museum over the summer. In my work, human figures and natural forms play a big role. In Michelangelo’s large figure drawings, the way lines and forms are working inside a frame, the rhythm, the texture and the motion of the figures all inspire me. I am also looking forward to seeing Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael at the Royal Academy when it opens in November. I would also recommend Now You See Us, Women Artists in Britain 1520-1920 at Tate Britain - it closes soon!
The Virgin and Child with St Anne and the Infant St John the Baptist ('The Burlington House Cartoon'), c.1506-08, Charcoal with white chalk on paper, mounted on canvas. 141.5 x 104.6 cm. The National Gallery, London. Purchased with a special grant and contributions from the Art Fund, The Pilgrim Trust, and through a public appeal organised by the Art Fund, 1962.
Airbourne © Arjuna Gunarathne
Follow @arjuna_gunarathne.studio
