Kuveni — Ancient Sri Lankan Queen
Painting the first queen of the island's founding legend
Kuveni is one of the most striking figures in Sri Lankan legend. She appears in the Mahavamsa, the great chronicle of the island, as a queen of the Yakkha people who met Prince Vijaya when he and his followers landed on the island around the 6th century BCE. #kuveniart #acrylicart #ancientart
In the story she is first encountered spinning cotton by a forest pool. She helps Vijaya defeat her own people, becomes his consort, and bears him two children — and is then set aside when he sends for a royal bride from the mainland. Cast out with her children, she is remembered in folklore for the curse she is said to have spoken as she left.#kuveniart
Why I paint her
Kuveni is not a villain and not a victim. She is a woman of power who is written out of her own story. When I paint her I am trying to give her back the gaze — to let her look out at the viewer instead of standing at the edge of somebody else's legend.
Symbolism in the work
The spinning thread, the forest water, the turning away — these recur in the way I compose her. Colour carries most of the feeling: earth tones for the land she belonged to, and a single warm light source for the dignity that the chronicle takes away from her.
Prints and originals on this theme are available. Use the enquiry form to ask about a specific piece or to commission a Kuveni work in your own size and palette.