Senaka Senanayke

Senaka was born on 20 March 1951 in an illustrious family of Sri Lanka, which produced two Prime Ministers. He was hailed as a child prodigy and soon proved that the spontaneity of his work and his vigorous depiction of Sri Lankan life needed no kind of political patronage. His art was anchored in Buddhist thought and was a celebration of his country’s flora and fauna. Often compared to Mozart’s childhood genius in music, he redeemed his early promise and went on to become one of the most soughtafter painters of Asia, crossing international boundaries, a mystifying combination of technical skill and a dewy eyed child looking at life around him as if for the first time. Senaka became a cultural ambassador holding up a many splendored mirror to his country.