Exotic colors 2000 for painting enthusiasts

By Pavan Kapoor

JAKARTA (JP): Something is bleeding and spilling over the brim is the first impression one gets when viewing the series of paintings by Nyoman Erawan titled Pralaya Mantra. Blobs and splashes of diluted fluid seep out of geometric shapes, extravagant in their design.

It seems as if the artist is trying to portray the mystery of the world by starting with the details and becoming seriously involved in the materialism of this world. When truth and contentment fail to quell the tornado, then all the color is let loose to spill randomly and bleed down the canvas. The paintings are unframed as if even that is unessential to unfolding this simple mystery of life.

Nyoman Erawan's abstract works and the naturalist paintings of four other artists -- I Wayan Lotra, Irwan Widjayanto, the esteemed Nyoman Gunarsa and Ronald Djaling -- are currently on display in the lobby of the World Trade Center. The exhibition titled Exotic Colors, 2000 is sponsored by PT Jakarta Land and was opened by Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the minister of law and legislation, on Feb. 2. It will run until Feb. 12.

Ronald Djaling puts on display his superb landscapes -- the most stunning of which is Bromo. It shows a superb aerial view of Mount Bromo in the splendor of a glorious sunset. To the onlooker it presents an almost 3-D view and makes one feel as if they were a bird awash in the warm yellows, ochers and oranges of the sunset. One feels almost as if they were in the picture rather than outside. The broad golden frame brings reality in focus while enhancing the grandeur of it all.

Ronald says he has been wedded to realistic painting since childhood, and he did not have the patience to finish his art studies at the STSRI-ASRI in Yogyakarta, leaving for Bali to begin painting full time. His passion shows in his unique choice of themes. In Baris, for example, the painter captures the wide- eyed expression of a Balinese dancer. What is intriguing is the delicate and often challenging angle of the dancer, conveying to the viewer the supremacy of this dance maestro.

Nyoman Gunarsa displays his typical couples in greens, blues and reds -- some playing the flute, some gracefully holding baskets of fruit and some just striking a dance pose in unison. The carved matte finished frames almost 10 inches in width bring a sense of familiarity, with carvings from Hindu mythology.

Nyoman Gunarsa, who was scheduled to attend the opening of the exhibition, could not make it due to health problems. And so we must satisfy ourselves by the gazing upon the wild and free, yet controlled strokes of a great Indonesian artist who has made fame walk in his shadow in Indonesia and abroad.

The paintings of I Wayan Lotra on display are from his pastel on paper collection. A soft and almost light relief from dark colors and gleaming oils and waters, Wayan's paintings center around rustic Indonesian women going about their daily household chores. Wanita Dengan Keranjang (Woman with a Basket), Mencari Bunga (Looking for Flowers) and Menurut Kelapa (Grating a Coconut) are some of the examples of Wayan's pastel works on show.

Wayan was born in Bali. In 1964 he graduated from a teacher's college but he did not follow this profession, choosing instead to paint. His simple lifestyle is apparent from the transparent quality of his seemingly simplistic paintings.

The last, but not the least, of the artists participating in the exhibition is Irwan Widjayanto.

Irwan was born in 1970. He is a self-taught painter, but says that art is in his genes from his grandmother, who was a batik printer in Surakarta. The 1990s have been a period of immense productivity and success for Irwan.

The year 1991 saw his exhibition in Seoul, and every year he has displayed his paintings in Indonesia and abroad.

The theme of Balinese women abounds in Irwan's paintings, although the women seem more dreamy and wistful than in the works of the other artists. Their spectacular features and transparent skin is painted in watercolors and acrylics on canvas, which is fast becoming a popular medium. The bold and confident strokes that shape the limbs and apparel of these women demonstrate the mastery of the artist, as do the shadows and tones. Berhias (Dressing up) and Kasih Sayang (Affection) are two of the outstanding works on display. The artist's control of his medium is distinct, particularly in the uniquely themed Suka Cita Bersama (Happy Together), which depicts ducks on a pond.

This exhibition allows people to see the dizzying heights to which some of the country's best painters have reached, and is definitely worth a look.