Sigiriya (Lion's rock), is an ancient rock fortress in Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. It is a popular tourist eye catching place in the world, Sigiriya is also popular for its ancient paintings which are related to the Ajanta paintings in India. Before I talk about the Sigiriya paintings I would like to talk more about the history of Sigiriya.
The entire Sigirya complex was built by King Kashyapa (AD 477 – 495), and after the king's death, it was used as a Buddhist monastery until 14th century. Sigiriya has one of the most important urban planning sites of the first millennium. Now talk about the paintings.
The image above shows just one painting from the Sigiriya paintings. Most of the paintings have covered the western face of the rock, covering an area of 140 meters long and 40 meters high which is quite a big area. Probably the largest picture of wall in the world. There are references in some old books. Archaeologists have found that there were 500 ladies in these paintings. However, there are many more which are lost forever.
According to the Sri Lankan history, those paintings are unique when comparing with other old paintings in Sri Lanka. The line and style of the paintings differ from other paintings. The lines are painted in a form which enhances the sense of voluminous of figures. The paint has been applied in sweeping strokes, using more pressure on one side, giving a deeper effect of colour tone towards the edge.
Other paintings contain similar approaches to paintings, but do not have the sketchy lines of Sigiriya style, having a distinct artist’s boundary line. All paintings are handmade and they are protected well so that they last for a long time. Back then, they had limited amount of colours. But the painter did a great job by shading the colours. The painter has mostly used red, orange and green in order to finish the painting. It is not so easy to finish a painting by just using these three colours.
However, it has proved the painters talent.
According to the Sri Lankan history, those paintings are unique when comparing with other old paintings in Sri Lanka. The line and style of the paintings differ from other paintings. The lines are painted in a form which enhances the sense of voluminous of figures. The paint has been applied in sweeping strokes, using more pressure on one side, giving a deeper effect of colour tone towards the edge.
Other paintings contain similar approaches to paintings, but do not have the sketchy lines of Sigiriya style, having a distinct artist’s boundary line. All paintings are handmade and they are protected well so that they last for a long time. Back then, they had limited amount of colours. But the painter did a great job by shading the colours. The painter has mostly used red, orange and green in order to finish the painting. It is not so easy to finish a painting by just using these three colours.
However, it has proved the painters talent.
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