Bali according to minimalist Wayan Gunarsa<\/p>\n
Ayuningati, Contributor, Ubud, Bali<\/p>\n
Traditional Balinese paintings are striking in their bold
\nconfigurations of human and demonic figures, animals and
\nlandscapes.<\/p>\n
The canvas is a tight composition of forms that crowd the
\nspace and saturate it with color. The pioneers of such classical
\nBalinese painting were Gusti Nyoman Lempad, I Gusti Ketut Kobot
\nand Ida Bagus Rai.<\/p>\n
The best known of the new generation is probably Made Wianta.
\nContemporary Balinese artists have sought to retain tradition
\nwhile innovating change.<\/p>\n
But the big name in Balinese painting is Wayan Gunasta.
\nNicknamed Gun Gun, the fresh young talent is described as a
\nminimalist. The minimalist style in Bali was first embraced by I
\nGusti Nyoman Lempad in Ubud.<\/p>\n
Unlike traditionalists whose paintings are atmospherically
\ncarnivalesque and crammed with objects, Lempad's canvases are
\nleft partly blank and often subtly colored.<\/p>\n
Well known for Sigar Mangsi, the Chinese ink technique, he is
\na master of detail. His paintings draw on themes from the
\nRamayana and Mahabharata (Hindu epics), Panji stories from East
\nJava and Balinese folk tales.<\/p>\n
Gun Gun, on the other hand, chooses subjects from everyday
\nlife, the Balinese culture and even their pets.<\/p>\n
He started his career painting in the classical Balinese
\nstyle, the traces of which are still evident.<\/p>\n
Gun Gun is interested in classical Balinese themes but
\nreinvents them in a minimalist style of lines and dots.<\/p>\n
The work, currently on display at the QB World bookstore is an
\ninterpretation of Balinese society.<\/p>\n
One of his painting, titled Ceria (cheerful), is the depiction
\nof the face of a mother and child, obscured by lines.<\/p>\n
In Prosesi (procession) Gun Gun illustrates his mastery of the
\nbroken line as a device to depict traditional form.<\/p>\n
His art attempts to calm the viewer into a prolonged state of
\ncontemplation.<\/p>\n
But he admits that the blank canvas is also something to
\ncontemplate. "The white canvas is beautiful. It is an art work in
\nitself."<\/p>\n
His past occupation, as a cartoonist with a newspaper in Bali,
\nsharpened his skills, and apparently sharpened his lines.<\/p>\n
Born in Nyuh Kuning, the son of famous sculptor Wayan Pendet,
\nGun Gun grew up within the art community of Ubud.<\/p>\n
He attended the School of Law at Udayana University in
\nDenpasar until l989, and continued his study at the Bali
\nInstitute of Arts (STSI). He didn't finish his degree at STSI.<\/p>\n
Instead, in 1991, he studied animation at the Ever Green Film
\nCo. in Japan. He was deeply inspired by young Japanese graphic
\ndesigners.<\/p>\n
He is now the caretaker of Pendet Museum in Ubud, which is
\ndedicated to his father's works. Gun Gun is also an author and an
\naccomplished dancer.<\/p>\n
In his painting, Gun Gun is able to articulate the movement of
\ndance with a skill that is perhaps derivative of his physical
\ncomprehension of the activity.<\/p>\n
In Baris Dance, one of his most compelling works, Gun Gun drew
\nsix blue lines and some dots to capture the elaborate and richly
\nornamental sacred Baris dance. The 60 cm by 70 cm painting is
\nprobably the best of the works on display.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-according-to-minimalist-wayan-gunarsa-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}