George Claessen – Artist, Sculptor and Poet – 1909-99

Born in 1909 Claessen spent his first thirty eight years of his life in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He belonged to a family who had a strong inclination towards visual arts. He began to paint only at the age of 29 after he joined the Port Commission in Colombo as a Draughtsman.

A founding member of the 43 group, Claessen, came to public notice through the publication in 1946 ‘Jataka’ a little book of drawings by him, which was edited by Ian Goonetileke. Arther van Langenberd provided the Foreword in which he stated ‘The appreciation of a drawing after the first sensation is past, creates a longing for serener, more lasting qualities which the artist is called upon to satisfy. The drawings of George Claessen possess these qualities” (Weereratne, 1993,59).

Some of his art was inspired by Chinese brush drawings and Japanese woodcut. Some others show a modelling of typical European draughtsmanship. His work is mainly dominated by a subtle intimacy and a suggestive use of line which captures form and explores movement (Dharmasiri, 2001)