ART DAR
Artists – Myanmar – Than Kyaw Htay
Than Kyaw Htay is inspired by the Pa-O people of the Shan States in the north-east of Myanmar. They are easily identifiable by the colorful turbans worn by both men and women. These paintings feature a figure or figures standing or squatting, sometimes looking slightly off-balance, which the artist says is an echo of the political instability of the country. They look out over a beautiful but empty countryside, which creates a feeling of isolation, another metaphor for the country as a whole.
The artist says he depicts the landscape in vibrant, vivid colours, because his people are longing for a brighter future as they stare into the distance. He depicts the backs of people because Myanmar has turned its back on the world, but the figures are often outlined with a thin, uneven rim of warm contrasting color, representing a sliver of hope in an otherwise grim reality.
Inspired by Van Gogh, Than Kyaw Htay gives his paintings texture and added depth by scratching a comb through the pigments, at times revealing the contrasting underpainting. This technique smoothes and integrates the tones of the figures, clothes and landscape, giving the works an added dimension and energy.
Than Kyaw Htay himself is a migrant. He was born in 1978 in Rakhine State’s Sitwe. He studied Under U Soe Htay, U Tun Aye, U Win Pe Myint, U Kyaw Thu Yin, U Win Tint, and U Thet Oo, U Than Kywe at the State School of Fine Art, Yangon.
He likes to say that, to search for opportunities and a better life, is one of the reasons for migration.
The artist says he depicts the landscape in vibrant, vivid colours, because his people are longing for a brighter future as they stare into the distance. He depicts the backs of people because Myanmar has turned its back on the world, but the figures are often outlined with a thin, uneven rim of warm contrasting color, representing a sliver of hope in an otherwise grim reality.
Inspired by Van Gogh, Than Kyaw Htay gives his paintings texture and added depth by scratching a comb through the pigments, at times revealing the contrasting underpainting. This technique smoothes and integrates the tones of the figures, clothes and landscape, giving the works an added dimension and energy.
Than Kyaw Htay himself is a migrant. He was born in 1978 in Rakhine State’s Sitwe. He studied Under U Soe Htay, U Tun Aye, U Win Pe Myint, U Kyaw Thu Yin, U Win Tint, and U Thet Oo, U Than Kywe at the State School of Fine Art, Yangon.
He likes to say that, to search for opportunities and a better life, is one of the reasons for migration.
Than Kyaw Htay 37 x 27
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