GEORGE KEYT

Getting to see two cultures and living with it make people confused. Few take the best of both and make their own path to bring a fresh approach. So did George Keyt. Belonging to Ceylon, he has been inspired by Western and Eastern Art traditions while mixing them with local traditions.

An artist with poetic mind, Keyt went to explore his subjects with gentleness. Kandy, where he was born and brought up left lasting impression on his thoughts. He was deeply influenced by Buddhist life and the legends associated with the emergence of Theravada Buddhism, which was prevalent in Ceylon. The frescos painting of ‘Apsaras’ at Sigiriya temple also made its way into his imagination. His inquisitive mind also brought him in touch with Hindu mythology and traditions. Art critics have also found influences of Braque and Picasso’s cubism in his works. He had also met Rabindernath Tagore and was inspired by Bengal School of Art and its folk tradition.

His style is a blend of western and Indian influence. He has added new form to Picasso’s cubism and distortion with his line and choice of colours. His art attains sensuality. He was more interested in his structure while dealing with any subject. His paintings are similar to the poetry of Kalidas, who laid emphasis on details while explaining the beauty of Shakuntala.


The works of Keyt are celebration of human love in natural forms, which proclaim that world originated out of the cosmic union of female and male. Females are not only objects of desire but they are ‘Shakti’ which are so vital for the universe as preached and carried out in Hindu tradition with the manifestation of love between Shiva and Parvati, Krishna with Radha and seduction of Vishawametra by Menaka. All this traditional union and harmony of humans have been emphasized by Keyt. The romancing of Gopis by Krishna with its natural charm also provided the vision for the love of Keyt. Love has many sides and real love is divine love. The way to divine love lies in physical union of both the sexes. Women in his works are not objects to be desired, but they are source of all energy.

Women in his creations carry a look which is mixture of Sinhalese and Indian form of feminine beauty. He has beautifully presented women in ways which resemble Devdasis as represented in the Indian temples of Khajuraho, Ajanta and Ellora and Yakshinis. He was also married to an Indian woman. Carrying a voluptuous body with sensuous appeal, women in his paintings are celebration of love, passion, desire, legends and seduction. His structure and lines are in such harmony that curves of the body are highlighted in its natural form adding eroticism to its appearance. His women are liberated and freely express their feelings. Women putting make-up, bathing, waiting, and making love are depicted without any subversion of basic instincts. They are happy in union and unhappy in separation. Sorrow is a passing phase in his depictions and he celebrates the victory of good over evil in life.


He has also made Jatakas or the birth stories related to Buddha, his subjects. A keen follower of Buddhism, he championed the cause of Buddhism revival. He has also keen interest in Hindu mythology and translated Gita Govinda into english with illustrations. The poetry of this treatise is reflected in his drawings of women are shown seeking love out of sheer desire without any prudence. He has integrated Indian art with Sinhalese art and added new appeal to his work. While dealing with Hindu mythology he has stressed on women like Savtri or Draupadi. His murals, landscapes and drawings depict his native place, life of Buddhist monk and surroundings of Kandy.

In this picture, Keyt has presented an important phase of woman’s life. The woman is doing ‘Sringara’ looking into mirror. Her image is reflected in many ways and she is admiring her beauty and enhancing it by applying make-up. Many thoughts come to her mind. It is an example of woman waiting for her lover and thinking of her union with him. Her attire and style reflect local Ceylonese tradition. It is an apt example of woman full of desire.

Keyt has borrowed liberally from the Indian and Western schools of art to create sensuality in his works. His creations glorify and celebrate feminine beauty as fountain of all sources of energy and fertility, a concept presented in Indian art as ‘Motherhood’.