
Priya Singh
Head of Department
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Head of Department

Cataloguer
Provenance
Property from a private collection, UK.
Acquired from the artist;
Thence by descent.
Note: The work has been authenticated by the artist.
In this luminous painting, Senanayake presents a serene yet vibrant vision of nature, rendered in his quintessential style from the period. Five deer are depicted gracefully poised in a dreamlike landscape, their forms painted in radiant hues of pinks and oranges that lend them a mystical quality. The animals appear almost ethereal, seamlessly integrated into a lush and layered background of blues, whites, and greens, creating a sense of harmony between wildlife and the natural world.
Typical of Senanayake's early work, the composition balances a delicate painterly approach with bold, expressive colour. The gentle rhythm of the deer's placement across the canvas gives the scene a lyrical stillness, yet the richness of the palette infuses it with energy. The use of orange and pink tones for the deer, unconventional and evocative, suggests both the fragility and preciousness of wildlife, themes that would come to dominate the artist's later, more overtly environmental works.