Walimuni Solias Mendis (June 17, 1897 – September 1, 1975) was a renowned Sri Lankan artist primarily known for his

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temple paintings, accomplished in a neo-classical style. A native of Mahawewa,

Madampe Madampe is a town situated in the Puttalam District, of North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Madampe is a town with historical importance which was ruled by king Thaniwallbha according to the history. There are two areas: Old town and New town whi ...

in Sri Lanka, second of seven boys in the family, Mendis was intended by his parents to become an

Ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

Physician, but he was drawn to art. In his early years, he worked and trained alongside his uncle Memonis Silva, himself a master painter. Once accomplished himself, he began painting murals in Buddhist temples. Later such as Rannasgalla Vihara and Maddepola Vihara.The Buddhist monks and devotees who saw magnificent style decided to call him to paint in Kelani Vihara. In order to increase his skills Mendis visited India to examine the works of

Ajanta Caves The Ajanta Caves are 30 rock-cut architecture, rock-cut Buddhist caves in India, Buddhist cave monuments dating from the second century Common Era, BCE to about 480 CE in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, Aurangabad district of Maharashtra sta ...

Ellora Caves The Ellora Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Aurangabad, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600–1000 AD, including Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain caves., Quote: "The ...

Bagh Caves The Bagh Caves are a group of nine rock-cut monuments, situated among the southern slopes of the Vindhya Range in Bagh town of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh in central India. These monuments are located at a distance of 97 km from Dh ...

and

Sarnath Sarnath (also known as Deer Park, ''Sarangnath'', ''Isipatana Deer Park'', ''Rishipattana'', ''Migadaya'', or ''Mrigadava'')Gabe Hiemstra, "Buddha Chronicle 24: Kassapa Buddhavaṃsa". ''Wisdom Library'', 14 September 2019. is a town nort ...

, which inspired him to mingle the techniques of Indian

Buddhist art Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes Buddha in art, depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas in art, Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, ...

with the traditions of Sinhalese classical art, eschewing the then prevalent European traditions. At around the age of 30, he undertook a twenty-year project to complete the Kelaniya Vihara murals. His style was unique, from graceful brush strokes to perspective.

References

External links

A Genius Of Art Solias MendisWall Paintings in Kaleniya Temple by Solias Mendis

Gallery of Solias Mendis paintings at Kelaniya

1897 births 1975 deaths 20th-century Sri Lankan painters {{SriLanka-painter-stub