A
World of Radiant Light
by JOHN YATES
Modern art most often is
defined as an expression of contemporary and avante
garde life and perspectives in the
industrialized nations of the world, and the term
usually refers to North America and Europe
exclusively. An equation has been drawn linking
modern art to the Western world of industry,
technological advances, commerce and cultural
history. There is great arrogance in that
definition, which implicitly reduces the rest of
the planet to the status of second-class citizen.
Modernity, in effect, most often is defined as
culture moving away from direct connection to the
Earth, and distancing itself from humanity,
nature and spirituality in the process. The
result is that contemporary art has become
increasingly conceptual: an abstracted product of
the mind that is utterly sterile. Examples range
from films of soup cans to installations of
sharks mounted in formaldehyde. Art that does not
fit this mold is labeled as retro, or simply
sentimental.
It might also be said that
life itself in the industrialized West has become
increasingly abstracted, sterile, dehumanized and
removed from natural forces and the world of
spirit. Those who reject this mold simply seem to
vanish off of the face of the Earth.
Something different is
happening now in the world of contemporary art
that has the potential to shatter the accepted
mold of modernity. The tropical island of Bali
has become a magnet for artists from both Western
and Eastern nations, who have immersed themselves
in a rich and vibrant world of Indonesian arts
without forgetting their own heritage. The
resulting cultural exchange of inspiration and
perspective has worked both ways, and Indonesian
artists are expanding their own perspectives to
encompass traditions from the West. This informal
group is not consciously trying to change the
face of modern art, but what they are doing has
the potential to do just that. Their work shows
an amazing synthesis of styles and values that
has taken on a distinct life of its own.
Much of this burst of
creative energy has centered around Javanese
artist Pranoto and his wife, Australian Kerry
Pendergrast. They operate an art gallery in Ubud,
Bali, and are drawing an international array of
Indonesian, Asian and Western artists to their
modeling workshops. Their work shows a fully
modernistic vision that sinks its roots deep into
the Earth and extends its arms toward humanity,
breaks new ground in synthesis of various styles,
shows profound respect for both Western and
non-Western traditions, and exhibits technical
mastery.
Bali creates an especially
hospitable setting for the arts. In Bali, artists
are respected and accepted, while they are looked
down upon in most Western countries. In Ubud,
Pendergrast said, virtually everyone is an artist
in one form or another. There is a strong sense
of artistic community that is enhanced by
frequent visits from people who live in many
other places. She makes frequent references to
her islands sensuality, lushness and
fertility, along with the quality of light and
the electric display of color in the human and
natural landscape.
Pranotos and
Pendergrasts work is distinct from each
others, yet they share certain
characteristics that seem to be the defining
essence of this contemporary Bali-centered
artistic movement (I doubt that these two artists
even think of themselves as part of a movement or
see themselves as playing a visionary role, but
they are doing just that). At the heart of their
work is a vibrant sense of life and light that is
firmly rooted in the Earth. It is the absolute
antithesis of the sterility expressed in most
contemporary North American and European art. It
is as if the lushness, sensuousness and life
force of Bali has captured them and glows from
within the work that they do. They produce
life-affirming work of the highest order that
fully reflects the spirit of an island that some
people have likened to paradise. Nature and
humanity are the roots from which their art
flows.
Their work also shares the
ability to synthesize the styles and essence of
native Indonesian art forms with those of
European and Asian traditions. Do not think this
simply is a lumping together of various styles.
It is not. Instead, it is a wholly organic
synthesis that is far greater than the sum of its
parts. Indonesian batik traditions form the
backbone of their paintings and set the tone.
Pranoto began as a batik artist, and his mastery
of this art form is apparent both in his own work
and in the work of other artists associated with
his gallery. There work also shows deep
influences of the Impressionists, Pablo Picasso
and Paul Gauguin, in form, structure and style.
This is not to say that their work is in any way
imitative, as it is not. A large part of their
talent lies in creating synthesis that develops
its own identity and stands completely alone and
without apology.
Both artists are especially
aware of color, the interplay of light and
shadow, and the warm and cool feelings that
colors project. Pranoto looks at color in terms
of emotional tones and nuances, at least in part,
and uses color to create mood. Light breaks up
color and molds it into abstract shapes and a
variety of tonal values, he said. Pranotos
figures often radiate auras of luminous light.
His use of form and structure is bold and
dramatic. For Pendergrast, since childhood she
has seen colors as personalities and feelings.
She likes to think of colors as if they are
musical chords that she plays harmoniously or
discordantly.
Although many of
Pendergrasts paintings are of nudes, she
does not see them as especially erotic. Instead,
she defines them as sensual, but would describe a
painting of a flower in the same way. All
are sensual, she said. All are
objects of beauty that I want to interpret in my
own art sense. In painting human models,
she said, the tone of the painting often is set
by the chemistry between artist and
model, and the distinct personalities they both
bring to a session. She said that its
perfectly valid if someone looks at her
paintings and has an erotic response to them, and
stresses that art is meant to be seen and
interpreted by the viewer. Oftentimes, she said,
art that is intended to be erotic doesnt
strike her that way at all.
I think it is the
unseen and the unsaid that makes something
erotic, Pendergrast said.
Pranoto, age 51, has felt
driven to become an artist since early childhood.
He began working with batik, and moved to Bali in
1974. He opened his gallery in 1996, in order to
showcase his own work and the work of friends. He
switched to painting, and his work has shown
considerable openness to experimentation in form,
media and technique. He has worked with oils and
canvas, and pastels and paper, but also has
painted on sandpaper and used tinted plaster on
ceramic.
Pendergrast, age 40, was born
in Perth, Western Australia, and graduated in
Humanities in 1986 from Curtin University. She
initially pursued a career in theater and music,
but a trip to Bali changed her life. She met
Pranoto and moved to Bali in 1993. She has two
children, manages the gallery and modeling
sessions, and paints. She works most often in
soft pastels on sandpaper and in watercolor on
paper, and often explores rich possibilities in
color transparency and the interaction of
pigments.
Thus far, Pranoto has
exhibited only in Indonesia, with numerous solo
and group shows. He has not had formal exposure
outside of his own country. Pendergrast also has
exhibited mostly in Indonesia, but also has
exhibited her work in her native Australia and at
World Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. Their
gallerys web address is: http://www.age.jp/~pranoto/. Prepare for a feast.
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