Gate Mudaliyar Mudali (or Mudaliyar) was a colonial title and office in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) which was part of the native headman system. The Portuguese colonials created the Mudaliyar class in the 17th century by enlisting natives of different castes from ...

Abraham Christopher Gregory Sooriyarachchi Amarasekara (2 March 1883 – 29 March 1983) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n painter. He is considered one the important Sri Lanka artists of the Ceylon Society of Arts of the mid 20th century. Born on 2 March 1883 in Dodanduwa, the son of Rev. Abraham Sooriyarachchi Amarasekera, an Anglican priest, he was educated at the

Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa Prince of Wales' College ( Sinhala: වේල්ස් කුමර විද්‍යාලය ''Wels Kumara Vidyalaya'', Tamil: பிரின்ஸ் ஆஃப் வேல்ஸ் கல்லூரி) is a selective entry boys' school ...

and at the St. Thomas' College, Mutwal, where he was the cartoonist for the hostel magazine “The Dormitory” edited by

Francis Molamure Sir Alexander Francis Molamure, (7 February 1888 – 25 January 1951) (commonly known as Sir Francis Molamure or A. F. Molamure) was a Ceylonese politician. He became the first speaker of both the State Council of Ceylon and Parliament of Ceyl ...

. He won first prize at the Ceylon Society of Arts’ annual exhibition in 1903. After completing his schooling, Amarasekera joined H. W. Cave and Company to study commercial art, then worked at the Survey General's Department as a

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

for six years from 1907 and finally joined the staff of the Ceylon Technical College, Maradana as a lecturer in fine arts. Later he founded his own art school, the "Atelier School of Art", which produced many notable artists such as Harry Pieris and

Justin Pieris Deraniyagala Justin Pieris Deraniyagala (20 July 1903 – 24 May 1967) was a Sri Lankan painter. Deraniyagala was a founder member of the Colombo '43 Group of Sri Lankan artists and along with Lionel Wendt, George Keyt and Harold Peiris. Born on 20 July 19 ...

. He was known for his portraits of the Ceylonese leaders of his time. His works were exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

, the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours and the

Royal Institute of Oil Painters The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, also known as ROI, is an association of painters in London, England, and is the only major art society which features work done only in oil. It is a member society of the Federation of British Artists. Histor ...

. In 1919, Amarasekera became the secretary of the Ceylon Society of Arts, its vice-president in 1926 and President in 1959. He was appointed Chairman of the Panel on Painting and Sculpture of Arts Council of Ceylon in 1954. He was an amateur magician with the stage name “Gay Deceiver” and was a founder president of the Association of Ceylon Magicians until his death in 1983. He was responsible for designing the

National Art Gallery List of national galleries is a list of national art galleries. {{tocright Africa *Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa *National Art Gallery of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia The Americas *Galería Nacional, San Juan, Puerto ...

. He gained the fellowship of the British Empire Exhibition and was awarded the titular honor of

Mudaliyar Thuluva Vellalar (Thondamandala Tuluva Vellalar), also known as Agamudaya Mudaliars and Arcot Mudaliars, is a caste found in northern Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh and southern Karnataka, India. They were originally significant lando ...

by the Governor of Ceylon in 1924. Amarasekara was appointed an

Officer of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 1939 Birthday Honours for his services for the arts in Ceylon. The Government of Ceylon awarded the titular honor of

in 1952 and appointed him the Chairman of the Fine Arts Committee of the Colombo Plan Exhibition. In 1983, Dawson Road in Colombo was renamed "Amarasekara Mawatha" in his honour by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

J. R. Jayewardene Junius Richard Jayewardene ( si, ජුනියස් රිචඩ් ජයවර්ධන, ta, ஜூனியஸ் ரிச்சட் ஜயவர்தனா; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly abbreviated in Sri Lanka as ...

. He married Mable Beatrice Pereira in 1908 and they had one son, D. V. A. S. Amarasekara.

References

External links

Art UK - A. C. G. S. Amarasekara 1883–1983

Who Is The Lady In Red?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amarasekara, Abraham Christopher Gregory Sooriyarachchi 1883 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Sri Lankan painters Sinhalese artists People from British Ceylon Sri Lankan Anglicans Ceylonese Officers of the Order of the British Empire Gate Mudaliyars Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia

See also

References

External links