George Keyt

Acquired directly from the artist by Frederick Pett, LVO, OBE, while stationed in Colombo, Sri Lanka, between 1964-67. Mr. Pett worked as a Commonwealth Relations Officer in a British Consular post overseas for Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service.

There are very minor accretions present on the surface only visible upon very close inspection. This painting is in good condition, as viewed.
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One of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated 20^th century artists, George Keyt was self-taught and only began to paint seriously at the age of 26. In 1946, Keyt left his native Sri Lanka for India, a place that was to become his spiritual home. Inspired by the landscape and traditions of India, Keyt is recognised for his sensuous depiction of women within rustic settings, as is the case with the current painting. His evident delight in the feminine form was influenced at least in part, by classical Hindu sculpture. 'The experience of once again living in India, the India to which in spirit he has always belonged, induced him to re-explore his favourite subject... He employed all his resources, springing line, rhythmical form and glowing colour, to imbue his subjects with innocent sensuality and poetic charm' (W.G. Archer, India and Modern Indian Art, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London, 1959, p. 135). This confluence of styles is clearly evident in Keyt’s work, where traditional subject matter and iconography is modernised with Cubist forms and a Fauvist palette. While he was inspired by artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, his painting was not merely an adoption of Western modernism, but a carefully constructed unique style which blossomed when he joined the celebrated ‘43 Group’ of Sri Lankan artists who preceded the Bombay Progressives. 'His distinction has been to assimilate such Western influences, while remaining unmistakably Eastern - a process all the more natural in that Western Art had first assimilated certain Eastern influences,' wrote Sir Herbert Read. (George Keyt: A Centennial Anthology, The George Keyt Foundation, Colombo, 2001, p. x).
This painting is executed with crisp and bold lines. Here the two women are thoughtfully poised with sombre tones and distinct tenderness. In a dual contemplation of face and body, where limbs are both gracefully and provocatively intertwined, Keyt’s masterful strokes capture an affectionate moment.