ArtTitudes

Putu Sutawijaya

Putu Sutawijaya was born in Angseri, Tabanan, Bali,, on 27 November 1971. He finished his studies in painting in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta (Indonesia Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta), in 1998. His work was nominated among the ten best in the Phillip Morris Indonesia Art Awards 1999. In 2000 he received the Lempad Prize for his art from Sanggar Dewata Indonesia 9SDI), and currently serves as the general chairman for his artists’ group which is based in Yogyakarta. He has held solo exhibitions in Bali, Yogyakarta, Singapore, Hongkong, and in Galeri Canna in Jakarta in 2004. He uses both Yogyakarta and Bali as his homes and places to work.

Various movements and manners of the human body, a result of Putu’s own thoughts on things that provoke him, give life to his works. These ideas are a self-internalized process of dislocation, contemplation and reflection regarding music, dance, meditation or personal experiences in his life. They are not far removed from his creative Balinese cultural background and continue to trigger imaginative exploration in his art.

The body postures and gestures as reflected in Putu’s works are expressions and ways in which he likes to picture the feelings in his heart. He visually accomplishes this by primarily relying upon the drama and strength of spontaneous lines. With high precision and skill he realistically captures the essence of movements of the human body and develops them into all kinds of situations in his works. The figures that he shows are deliberately deformed and become active participants in their own ways. They seem to speak with their gestures instead of with their mouths. In fact, the artist does not pay attention to details in their faces and mostly covers them with hair.

*taken from Modern Indonesia Art from Raden Saleh to the Present Day

Putu Sutawijaya
Dancing Moon
200x x 150 cm
Oil on canvas

Artists