Important Notice

George Keyt was one of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated artists of the 20th century. Keyt was born in a family of Sinhalese-Dutch origin and was raised in a liberal, cultural environment. This perhaps helped him assimilate aspects of Buddhist literature and temple architecture, as well as Puranic narratives and Indian erotic iconography—an influence that would continue to reveal itself in his works. Over a span of six decades, his oeuvre underwent a... George Keyt was one of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated artists of the 20th century. Keyt was born in a family of Sinhalese-Dutch origin and was raised in a liberal, cultural environment. This perhaps helped him assimilate aspects of Buddhist literature and temple architecture, as well as Puranic narratives and Indian erotic iconography—an influence that would continue to reveal itself in his works. Over a span of six decades, his oeuvre underwent a dramatic change in form and style, following his encounter with the works of Picasso and Matisse in the 1930s.

The present lot from 1973 shows the extent and impact that the principles of Cubism had on Keyt’s artistic vocabulary. Keyt’s bold, curvilinear strokes give a fullness and symmetry to a scene that may otherwise appear disjointed owing to multiple perspectives. He uses colour as a narrative device for societal hegemony, adding a sense of drama to the work. The woman washing her hair appears to be of aristocratic lineage; her form and graceful poise hint at this. The woman attending to her with a basin in hand is relegated to a portion of the canvas, huddled, waiting patiently. Keyt would base his subjects on the traditions of Sri Lanka, and his astute use of colour and line to unravel a story adds a unique dimension to his works.

“The lyric painting of George Keyt is sensuous Indian poetry brought to canvas. [...] Keyt takes as his primary theme woman as the focus of man’s concern. He paints her in flat planes, with bounding lines and rich warmth of color. His idiom occasionally carries in it a hint of Picasso but is, once again, in direct line with the traditional styles of Central India, Mewar, and Bahsoli. But the originality of Keyt’s work is undoubted, and his work remains uniquely his own.” (R. Bartholomew and S.S. Kapur, Husain, New York: Harry N.Abrams, Inc., 1972, p27)

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