The '43 Group was a 20th-century modern art school established in August 1943 in Colombo, Sri Lanka (then British Ceylon).
The group was essentially an association of like-minded artists who had broken away from the Ceylon Society of Arts, led by photographer and critic Lionel Wendt, and originally included nine painters as key members (listed alphabetically): Geoffrey Beling, George Claessen, Aubrey Collette, Justin Daraniyagala, Richard Gabriel, George Keyt, Ivan Peries, Harry Pieris (the first and only Secretary of the Group), and the Ver. Manjusri Thero.Modern Art in Sri Lanka (later known as L. T. P. Manjusri). Albert DharmasiriElements of an art lover , Ceylon Today, Retrieved 10 June 2015Remembering a patriotic artist by Godwin Witane, Retrieved 11 June 2015
The group were influenced by Charles Freegrove Winzer, to whom Keyt and Beling had been pupils.
The paintings of the group constituted a historic break in Sri Lankan and, more generally, South Asian tradition. Art historian Jagath Weerasinghe wrote that the most significant achievement of the 43 Group was their localization of European modernist trends into a distinctively Sri Lankan modernist art.
Lester James Peries became a later associate of the group.
The Group also promoted Kandyan dance and other Sri Lankan dance forms.Traditional dance in British Ceylon by Kamalika Pieris (The Island), Retrieved 22 October 2016
External links 43 Group Birth Anniversary of Harry Pieries: A Life in Art
References