George Keyt’s life and career spanned the artistic and political challenges of the twentieth century, and he is recognised as one of the most important Sri Lankan painters of his generation. Nayika - Vasanta Raga (1943) was painted the same year as the founding of the ’43 Group in Colombo and soon after Keyt completed the murals at Gotami Vihara depicting the life of the Buddha. Lyrical in tone, the painting sets two female figures clad in simple saris in a plentiful nature. The composition is tightly focused on their heads and busts, as well as on the lush leaves and their bold contours. The affinities between the curves of the natural motifs and those of the nayika’s lascivious pose provide a sense of unity to the work. European art was a resource for Keyt but he recalibrated the use of the Cubist visual language and the art of Henri Matisse to serve South Asian themes. Among these, the nayika, or romantic heroine, would remain a feature in his work. In this instance, the title also references South Indian Carnatic music and one of its tunes known as Vasanta raga, while the abundant surroundings and the detached mood intimates an idealised village life.
—Devika Singh
