S Sudjojono, Art and Politic
Known as father of modern Indonesian painting art, S Sudjojono was also a fighter for Indonesian independence through arts way. For Sudjojono art is not values free. Art is not for art itself, but art is for people. Through art Sudjojono was involved in the struggle for Indonesian independence.
Raden Saleh, Pioneer in Indonesian Modern Painting
IF in the twentieth century we know Affandi, in the previous age we have Raden Saleh. They are Indonesian great artists with international reputations. Differ from Affandi that was an abstract-expressionist, Raden Saleh closed to romanticism which was so popular in Europe in nineteenth century.
Emiria Soenassa, The Lost Pearl
Born as a daughter of an aristocrat in Tidore, North Sulawesi, 1895, Emiria has taken brave decision to be an artist. She was noted as the first Indonesian woman that choose an artist as her profession. As a woman from aristocratic world in early 20th century her decision to be an artist was not easy.
Lee Man Fong, Chinese Traditional and Western Modern Painting
Indonesian painting world has foreign artists not only from western countries such as Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet, Antonio Blanco, Arie Smith, and Lee Mayor. We have also an artist from China which has been Indonesian with international reputation. He is Lee Man Fong.
I Nyoman Masriadi, New Icon of Indonesian Contemporary Art
Nyoman Masriadi is only artist with spectacular achievement now. The achievement that can be observed clearly is the price of his works which are so high, higher than Indonesian maestro artists’ works prices. His work with title “The Man From Bantul – the Final Round”, for example, was sold by the Sotheby Auctioneer, Hong Kong, in October 2008, with price HKD 7,8 millions or about 9 billion rupiahs.
Agus Budiyanto in Watercolor World
Let’s talk about watercolor painting in Indonesia. We will meet Agus Budiyanto. And ask him what medium is so perfect for painting. Sure, he will answer: watercolor! Now Agus is 50 years old and has been 30 years as a professional artist, he never paid attention to any other artistic medium except watercolor. The result is so amazing.
AD Pirous And Islamic Art
Professor of Anthropology at UW-Madison, USA, Kenneth M George, says that AD Pirous is a pioneer in melding Western abstraction with traditional Islamic forms and themes, notably Qur’anic calligraphy, which portrays Qur’anic verses. “When he began to combine abstraction and Qur’anic calligraphy in 1970s, his influence quickly spread. He awakened fellow Muslims to contemporary painting, and helped them think of themselves as an art-producing community,” George says.
Affandi, Indonesian Expressionism Maestro
Affandi’s painting is known as expressionism. The International Herald Tribune daily entitled Affandi as a New Expressionism Painter of Indonesia. Nevertheless Affandi never thinks about what kind of his painting school. Affandi said he initially loved impressionist painters, especially Monet, then expressionist. Also he loved Van Gogh’s works. But he said he coudn’t to be Van Gogh follower.
Read More….Affandi, Indonesian Expressionism Maestro
Antonio Blanco, Between Art and Beautiful Woman
Graduated from the National Academy of Art in New York, Blanco was fascinated by the female body more than other subject matter. With his wife, Ni Ronji, as model, Blanco explored the beautifulness of woman in his art works. The nature, people and culture of Bali also became inspirations for his paintings. As a proof of his loving to Bali Blanco built an art museum in Bali. In 1998 his museum, The Blanco Renaissance Museum, has been realized. About a year later, 1999, Blanco died.
Entang Wiharso, Art and Identity
What is identity? Apparently, this question always touch on Entang Wiharso’s mind. Really, the problem of identity often appears in his works, at least in the last ten years. One of the causes is his marry with an American, Christine Cocca. Nevertheless his experience living with people in various cultural background has contributions to his views on identity.
Read more ….Entang Wiharso, Art and Identity
Heri Dono, Criticism in Humor
His career internationally started from 1990-1991 when he took the International Artist Exchange Program in Basel, Switzerland. In this period he had a chance to make solo exhibition in Museum of Der Kulturen, Basel, entitled “Unknown Dimensions”. Since that time he were often invited to exhibit his works in various countries. In the latest thirty years Heri Dono has followed tens of prestigious events around the world.
Read more…Heri Dono, Criticism in Humor
Ida Bagus Made Poleng
Made Poleng will release his painting to someone, which he is sure, will really love and take care of the painting properly not for just commercial motives. In an informal meeting with Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) owner, Agung Rai, at his modest residence in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, several years before his death, Made Poleng told his rightly proud when he refused a collector offering to exchange one of his paintings with a fivety thousand US dollars new car.
Read more...Ida Bagus Made Poleng, One Icon of Bali Painting Artists
Kartika Affandi, Born to be an Artist
It seems that Kartika Affandi was born to be a painter. It was her father’s love which made her became an artist. Affandi, her father, is an Indonesian painting art maestro. Affandi really loves his family, and Kartika is very special for him. On the contrary, Kartika always looks at his father as a wonderful figure. She loves him and respect to his works.
Read more…Kartika Affandi, Born to be An Artist
Rudolf Bonnet and Bali Painting Art
Rudolf Bonnet was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1895, and studied at National Academy of Fine Arts in the same city. Visiting Bali firstly in 1929, Bonnet was so interested with Balinesse people and culture arts. So he decided to stay and until 1940 was involved in the community work as education and art developments. In 1936 he was involved in founding the Pita Maha.
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Walter Spies, Multy Talented Artist
Borned in Moscow, Russia, on September 15, 1895, from a German family, Walter Spies is an artist with multy talents. With local Balinese nobleman Tjokorda Agung Sukawati, Spies founded the Pita Maha Arts Association, a group that aimed to help Balinese painters in developing of their technical masteries on painting and selling their paintings properly. Spies was also involved in another art acitivites such as in making film on the Balinese culture, Island of Demons. He also worked on photography and coreography about Balinese people and culture.