Artist : Dewa Adnyana
Genre : Paintings
Period : January 20 till February
20
Everyday, 9.00AM till 10.00PM
Location : Gaya Fusion
Jl. Raya Sayan, Ubud
Tel: 979252
During the Renaissance the Italian artist Domenico Ghirlandaio
(1449-94) came up with an intriguing painting. Entitled ‘Old
Man and His Grandson’, the image depicted an ugly old
man being embraced by his beautiful young grandson. The contrast
between understanding and innocence was more than apparent.
The success of the painting was not only in the manner in-which
the artist had captured a realistic representation of his
subjects, a realism that had taken a ‘warts and all’
approach, but, it was the depiction of the reverence that
the elderly enjoyed in Florentine Society that was the most
striking message. In a time when themes in art were basically
restricted to either pious depictions of Christ and the Virgin
Mary, or, robust nude youth masquerading as classical Gods
and Goddesses, the visualization of the veneration of the
elderly was most unusual. Unfortunately, in Contemporary Western
Culture the ‘Cult of Youth’ and the ‘Body
Beautiful’ is the norm, to the point where it is now
very unfashionable to be old! Conversely, in Bali, the elderly
still maintain an honored position in the family and community.
They are revered, respected and referred to for knowledge
and guidance.
In his exhibition, ‘The Old and Wizened’, talented
Balinese artist Dewa Adnyana takes as his theme an exploration
of the character of the elderly human body. Dewa tries to
depict the experiences of life that facial wrinkles can reveal.
“The unique character of an old human body with a wizened
face arouses my sensibility. Using a realistic art I try to
comprehend the characters and dramas of life which are communicated
by the lines and wrinkles. I am not only responding to what
I see, but I am also trying to process it compositionally
as well, along with the use of color”. With his meticulous
brushwork, and razor-sharp eye for detail, Dewa’s exhibition
displays a series of beautifully composed, highly-rendered
and curiously colored paintings that pay homage to the wisdom
of the Balinese elderly.
Using the photographic technique of cropping, Dewa’s
paintings all contain an exquisite sense of placement. Many
paintings primarily consist of folded hands placed on the
thigh or resting on the knee. These limbs are usually positioned
on the left of the canvas, and they are balanced by a bold
negative space. This balancing forces the viewer’s attention
onto the highly-detailed brushwork of the wrinkled hands,
which are contrasted and framed by the unusual colors, such
as lavender, mauve and pink, of the sarongs in which the hands
rest. Forced to contemplate these gnarled old hands we can
see within them a lifetime of work and experience. Simultaneously,
we sense emotional strength, physical frailty, human resignation
and spiritual piety.
One of the most interesting features of Dewa’s work
is his use of textures. The blank, flat, unemotional negative
spaces act as a background for the sheen of the silk sarongs
in which the gnarled and waxen hands are placed. These backgrounds
are so flat and featureless that they could have been applied
with a spray-gun. The slipperiness of silk is achieved with
smooth and even brushwork, while the waxy, parchment-like,
quality of the skin is created through intense, sharp, small
brushstrokes. One remarkable painting even depicts the brittle
sparkle of a green glass Sprite soft-drink bottle, contrasted
by the soft shimmer of a silver wedding band. This subtle
build-up of textures once again forces the attention of the
viewer onto the primary focus of the paintings, namely the
expressive quality of elderly human skin.
The most outstanding painting in the exhibition is a close-up
of an ‘ancient’ Balinese woman. In this work Dewa’s
ability to depict a full range of human emotions is most evident.
Contrasted by a bright, blank, yellow background, this brown
and ocher, highly-detailed, wrinkled face conveys a deep sense
of wisdom, dignity and pride. But, in the glow of a
pair of hazel eyes can be found an acceptance, and perhaps
even apprehension, of impending death. This canvas deftly
captures the Balinese philosophy that all of life’s
hard experiences are part and parcel of a singular mysterious
spiritual existence.
Dewa Adnyana was born in Batubulan. He is only 27 years old.
Dewa is a graduate of the ISI in Denpasar, and, for someone
so young, he displays a formidable talent. Dewa’s technical
painting skills are very impressive, yet, it is his ability
to depict, and to re-locate, his understanding of the Balinese
Human Condition into a Post-Modern Westernized approach to
art that is truly outstanding. This is a simple, but, at times,
deeply moving exhibition.
