Charcoal and Colored Pencil Figure Drawings
by Pranoto and Tim Brown.
At Bali Mystique Hotel
Jl. Petitenget 2000X, Kerobokan.
Tel. 730465
In movie making parlance the term ‘body double’
refers to a ‘stand-in’. Often an actor or actress
may have a ‘no nudity’ clause in their contract,
or they may be dissatisfied with the appearance of parts of
their bodies. In these cases a professional ‘stand-in’,
or ‘body double’, will replace the performer in
the more intimate close-ups. The procedure is really all about
creating the illusion of a perfect body, and thus maintaining
the actor’s mystique. It is interesting that artists
Pranoto and Tim Brown have called their exhibition of charcoal
and colored pencil figure drawings, ‘Body Double’,
for their art is also concerned with creating the illusion
of the perfect body. There is an element of artifice in any
life study studio. The model is arranged in a certain way,
drapery is introduced and carefully folded, and shadows are
orchestrated. A formal scene is created to convey an elevated
and altered atmosphere. This is a formal concern within aesthetics,
an ideal of sensuality and intimacy as opposed to erotic dalliance.
An idealization of the perfectly formed body, perfectly proportioned,
noble, serene and remote from the reality of life. It is the
difference between the ‘Naked’ and the ‘Nude’.
Pranoto is a respected Indonesian artist who was born in a
small village outside Solo, Central Java, in 1952. He moved
to Ubud in 1974 to pursue his dream to become an artist. His
Ubud studio is a legend, for many artists have attended, and
continue to attend, his life study classes to practice and
improve their drawing techniques and skills. Pranoto enjoys
experimenting with different techniques and media, constantly
adding new skills to his repertoire. Currently he is working
in charcoal on paper, and much of his work has been exhibited
in Bali, Java, South Korea, Australia and England.
Pranoto is an artist obsessed by mass and form, and focuses
on the energy of sensuous lines to define a torso and movement
within the picture plane. In all of his drawings, such as
‘Contemplation’, ‘Patterned Sarong’
or ‘Reclining Woman’, a few simple lines delineate
the luscious contours of the posing model. Gentle shading
and tonal graduations suggest depth and rounds the voluptuous
forms. Many drawings also exhibit a use of Eastern style calligraphic
art, which appears to reflect a Zen approach to image making.
The evocative lines and impetuous patterning can perhaps be
the result of much contemplation, which suddenly finds its
release in a carefully controlled outburst of action. However,
the most outstanding feature of Pranoto’s work is his
remarkable use of light. A glowing illumination of the model
is a feature of his work. He does not show the source of light
but the effect of light on the human body. The interplay of
light and shadow. He cleverly pays attention to both the area
within the silhouette, and the negative space that lies outside
to represent the figure. It is amazing how abstract his drawings
are without offending the conventional codes of figure representation.
As one critic has commented, “Pranoto’s works
are more like painting with black and white than they are
drawings”. Pranoto displays a beautiful collection of
images of men and women who appear relaxed and at ease in
the bodies, luxuriating in their sensuality and undeniable
sexiness.
On the other hand, the drawings of Tim Brown appear to have
been created through an intellectualized attitude. Tim has
a methodical approach and aesthetic and his nudes are almost
elemental shapes rendered in scrupulous detail. He has a sureness
of execution and a delicate line technique. Tim was born in
London in 1954, and he is now living in Bali. Tim trained
at Watford and Exeter Art Colleges in the UK. His work has
been exhibited in London, Bath, Los Angeles and Dubai, and
he has had commissions from the Arabian Peninsula, South Africa,
Europe, New York and Tokyo. Tim began his career making copies
of old masters in order to study their techniques, rather
than following the path of abstract expressionism and conceptual
art that was explored by many of his contemporaries. This
acknowledgement of the history and traditions of art is abundantly
clear in all of his works on display.
Within the exhibition it is possible to see in Tim’s
drawings references to the old masters, but, the most prominent
influence on show appears to be Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.
In his meticulously executed drawings, such as ‘Male
Nude’ and ‘Tantri VIII’, portions of the
bodies, such as legs and buttocks, have been intentionally
elongated and emphasized to accord with particular standards
of elegance and beauty associated with the Neoclassical. ‘Reclining
Woman’ is a marvelous drawing that seems to find its
inspiration in a slightly earlier period, the romantic Napoleonic
era, which was fascinated by all things Egyptian. In this
drawing the reclining woman projects all the mystery and subtle
symbolism of a sphinx. It is an enchanting and mesmerizing
work. Tim never attacks the nude in its mass, but by its extremities,
and with a continuous line. He uses hatching, a myriad of
colored pencils marks, to create solid form. All of Tim’s
drawings are created with a great attention to detail, but,
unlike Pranoto, he exposes his subjects to a radiant external
light which suggests an illuminating spirituality that is
in keeping with the traditional light source of historical
European Art.
Figure drawing is one of the basic tenets of art. All artists
should practice it. To improve hand dexterity and to enhance
the eye. Both Pranoto and Tim Brown have a different drawing
style and technique. It is how each artist suggests, through
a selection of essential and significant lines, the appearance
of what they see that matters. What is compelling about this
exhibition is that Pranoto and Tim Brown can both look at
a naked model and see entirely different things. Both artists
superbly achieve their goals.
