David Paynter (artist)
David Shillingford Paynter | |
---|---|
Heywood Institute of Art[1] | |
Occupation(s) | Artist, Teacher |
Notable work | Murals at Trinity College Chapel, Chapel of the Transfiguration, S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, Portrait of Ivor Jennings |
David Shillingford Paynter,
Early life
David's father, Arthur Stephen Paynter, was born in
Apart from the basic guidance he received at Trinity, he had no formal art lessons. Yet Paynter entered the
Paynter and the Royal Academy
Paynter won the Royal Academy Gold Medal at the end of the fourth year along with the Edward Stott Travelling Scholarship which gave him two years in Italy. In 1936, he visited London for the third time – a productive and rewarding period in his art career. His one-man exhibition at the Wertheim Gallery in London brought him much recognition from art critics and journals in Europe. By invitation he participated in four international exhibitions in the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburg in Rome, in New Delhi and at the World Fair held in New York. From 1923 to 1940 his paintings were exhibited every year at the Royal Academy in London. The themes of most of his early works are religious. In 1923 two of his best pictures The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and the Entombment were considered powerful and dramatic statements of deeply felt religious experiences.[6]
Trinity College years
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Trinity_College_Chapel_Mural_%282%29.jpg/220px-Trinity_College_Chapel_Mural_%282%29.jpg)
In 1925, he returned to Sri Lanka and started work on the Trinity College Chapel murals. The Trinity Chapel was a monumental work of architecture exemplifying the core vision that Paynter shared – a European world view rooted in the vernacular of the land. Nothing of its type had even been imagined in the 1920s. The Independence Memorial Hall in Colombo – which borrowed heavily from the Trinity Chapel design – would not be created for another quarter century. Thus, in Rev Gaster's timeless design, Paynter found the ideal setting for his masterwork.[7]
Work on the chapel began in 1923. By 1929, the side chapel was erected, and Paynter began work on his first mural. His murals in the chapel, which comprise 'Are Ye Able', 'Washing the Disciples' Feet', 'The Good Samaritan' and 'The Crucifixion', are Bible stories transferred to Ceylon people and scenery.[2] By 1935, all the murals were complete, with the centrepiece being a massive depiction of The Crucifixion – Christ as a dark-skinned, clean-shaven native of the land, raised on his cross above the dusky gloom of a sullen swarm of mangroves – the transformation was total; a symbol of Christian faith expressed to perfection in Lankan idiom; it has arguably never been as beautifully expressed since.[citation needed]
Paynter found time during his years at Trinity to work on numerous portraits, many of which may be seen in the college library. He also lent his talent to the creation of many set designs for plays, some of which are still spoken of in awe close to a century later.[citation needed]
Later life, works
Paynter gradually turned his hand to another branch of art – portraiture. Here he was very successful. To be painted by Paynter became the fashion of the day. His clients ranged the elite of Sri Lanka, to British Governors to the Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka. On invitation in 1954 he painted the official portrait of
When an exhibition of contemporary Christian art from all countries was held in Rome in 1951 to commemorate the Holy Year celebrations, Pope Pius XII is said to have asked for Paynter's work. In 1940 Paynter was appointed Director of the College of Fine Arts in Colombo, and served in that capacity for several years. During that period he was made a distinguished citizen and honoured with the Order of the British Empire.[8]
Last years
Apart from his painting, Paynter was also involved in the social service work of the Paynters Homes for orphan children in
Paynter died of a heart attack on 7 June 1975 and was buried in the Union Church cemetery in Nuwara Eliya.
References
- ^ "Appreciations".
- ^ a b "David Paynter". Rootsweb.ancestry.com. 7 June 2003. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ "Ceylon & Sri Lanka Banknotes & Stamps". Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ "The Paynter Behind Some Of Sri Lanka's Finest Art - Roar Media". roar.media. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ "Sri Lanka Burgher Family Genealogy". Rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Montage - Cultural paradigm | Sundayobserver.lk - Sri Lanka". Sundayobserver.lk. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ "Out of the Ordinary". Sri Lanka In Style. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ issue 39107 The London Gazette
- ^ "Paynter's Transfiguration of Christ | Dr Shehan Silva's Blog". Shehansilva.wordpress.com. 22 March 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2013.