Bali gallery takes lead in promoting sketches<\/p>\n
By Putu Wirata<\/p>\n
DENPASAR (JP): The recent opening of Bali's first gallery
\npromoting sketches and drawings should help these art forms,
\noften derided by the local arts community.<\/p>\n
Its name, Bali Mangsi, is from the Balinese word mangsi,
\nreferring to a local type of ink traditionally containing soot
\nfrom oil lamps.<\/p>\n
Owner Hartanto named this inaugural exhibition Garis Suci, or
\nsacred line, and it features the works of two well-known Balinese
\nartists, Nyoman Wirata and Made Budhiana.<\/p>\n
The exhibition which opened in January will run to March 24.<\/p>\n
This gallery is expected to take the lead in bringing sketches
\nand drawings, formerly dismissed as unfinished visual creations,
\nto the forefront of art interests.<\/p>\n
Hartanto, a 42-year-old poet, said he had always dreamed of a
\n"nonconventional art gallery to encourage young unknown artists."<\/p>\n
He believed there was still a lack of the necessary support
\nfor the province's emerging artists, who were often entangled in
\nfinancial dependency on gallery owners.<\/p>\n
"I want to support those creative and talented artists who
\nhave just started in the world of art and who don't know how to
\nprotect themselves against the eagerness of the buyers or gallery
\nowners," explained Hartanto, who is also a singer and writes on
\nart.<\/p>\n
His said his gallery would be different to others mostly
\nfocused on exhibitions of oils, watercolors, acrylic or mixed
\nmedia works.<\/p>\n
"Bali Mangsi will only focus on sketches and drawings to raise
\nappreciation of prepainting studies, because (sketches) are the
\nimages of the mind," he said.<\/p>\n
Behind Bali Mangsi's massive front gates lies a regular house
\ncompound. A staircase leads to a space outfitted in soft colors,
\napparently chosen to avoid distracting from the artworks on
\ndisplay.<\/p>\n
Almost every space on the walls is occupied by a sketch.<\/p>\n
The artists chosen for the opening exhibit, Hartanto said,
\nfit the bill because "both have strong characteristic lines".<\/p>\n
The works of Made Budhiana, 39, a graduate of the Yogyakarta
\nInstitute of the Arts, reflect his concern for environmental
\nissues.<\/p>\n
His strong spontaneous lines result from dancing hands as he
\ncreates fish, people and landscapes. He rarely uses abstract
\nimages, but he said these too could depict natural settings.
\n "The strange forms and composition do exist in nature.
\nThe forms exists in decaying wood, and stones where lichen grows,
\nin the mud ..."<\/p>\n
He has exhibited in various parts of his homeland, Europe and
\nthe U.S.<\/p>\n
Nyoman, 40, is a high school teacher and a respected poet
\nhere.<\/p>\n
Since 1975 he has been drawing wayang leather puppets and
\nobjects in strong contours which create stories laden with moral
\nmeanings.<\/p>\n
Nyoman's sketches and drawings reveal his spontaneous but
\ndistinctive lines, known in Balinese Hindu mysticism as a type of
\ncalligraphy called rajahan.<\/p>\n
Wirata's father was a shadow puppet maker, providing a
\nconvenient source of inspiration for his artworks. Fans say
\nWirata's sketches and drawings are similar to his poems as they
\nexude the Balinese cultural spirit.<\/p>\n
His poetry also attests to his knowledge of the Mahabharata
\nand Ramayana epics, and the iconography of Balinese Hinduism.<\/p>\n
Visitors to the exhibition opening snapped up the sketches of
\nthe two, priced from Rp 200,000 to Rp 2 million each.<\/p>\n
Hartanto said it was an auspicious start in the effort to
\nincrease appreciation of the art.<\/p>\n
"As (late renowned painter) Affandi said, a painting is a
\ncolored sketch. If one appreciate sketches, he or she will
\nappreciate paintings more," he said.<\/p>",
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