Not currently on display at the V&A

Painting

1982-1984 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Ivan Peries was born in Sri Lanka in 1931. Peries' work has largely grown out of his preoccupation with the idealisation of the Ceylonese landscape. The artist was part of the 43 Group, an art group which took inspiration from international art movements based in Paris and London as well as Santiniketan in India. Members of the group included painters George Keyt and Richard Gabriel. The 43 Group artists were able to create a more secular painting tradition than the one supported by the Ceylon Society of Arts. The artist died in 1969.

In this painting we see two highly stylized saintly figures. On the left, we observe a tall standing figure whilst on the right, a smaller hunched seated figure. Both saints are dressed in long saffron-coloured robes. The two figures are set against a dark ground and framed within a roughly executed siena border.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted in acrylic on paper
Brief description
Painting, two saints, by Ivan Peries, painting, acrylic on paper, Sri Lanka, 1982-1984
Physical description
Painting, in acrylic on paper, a tall standing figure, left, and a smaller hunched seated figure, right, both dressed in long saffron-coloured robes. Set against a dark ground and framed within a roughly executed siena border. Areas of the border and the central image have been extensively retouched and repainted in a variety of media before arriving at this present state.
Dimensions
  • Height: 29.5cm
  • Width: 20.8cm
Content description
Two saints; a tall standing figure, left, and a smaller hunched seated figure, right, both dressed in long saffron-coloured robes.
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Ip' (Signed in ball-point pen upper left )
  • '82' (dated upper right )
Object history
Purchased from artist. Rp 85/536
Historical context
Ivan Peries was born in Sri Lanka in 1931. Peries' work has largely grown out of his preoccupation with the idealisation of the Ceylonese landscape. The artist was part of the 43 Group, an art group which took inspiration from international art movements based in Paris and London as well as Santiniketan. Members of the group included painters George Keyt and Richard Gabriel. The 43 Group artists were able to create a more secular painting tradition than the one supported by the Ceylon Society of Arts. The artist died in 1969.
Subject depicted
Summary
Ivan Peries was born in Sri Lanka in 1931. Peries' work has largely grown out of his preoccupation with the idealisation of the Ceylonese landscape. The artist was part of the 43 Group, an art group which took inspiration from international art movements based in Paris and London as well as Santiniketan in India. Members of the group included painters George Keyt and Richard Gabriel. The 43 Group artists were able to create a more secular painting tradition than the one supported by the Ceylon Society of Arts. The artist died in 1969.

In this painting we see two highly stylized saintly figures. On the left, we observe a tall standing figure whilst on the right, a smaller hunched seated figure. Both saints are dressed in long saffron-coloured robes. The two figures are set against a dark ground and framed within a roughly executed siena border.
Collection
Accession number
IS.52-1985

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJanuary 29, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSON