PENARI BALI
By Djen A
Balinese Dancer By Djen A Djen Arief Mustikadjaja is a Sundanese artist who was born on December 17th 1943. He began learning about painting under the mentorship of Ayub Sasmitawijaya. In 1961, he joined Sanggar Seniman, which was led by A.D. Pirous, one of Bandung's most famous artists. He also formed his own art collective on the side and named it Indonesian Fine Arts Association (IFAA). His style of painting follows the realism and naturalism path. This painting of his called "Balinese Dancer" is proof of his skill in creating realist art. A Bali-themed painting is nothing new; many Indonesian artists have captured the beauty of Bali's people, art, and culture on their canvases. The woman in Djen A's painting is a Legong dancer. The word 'Legong' is actually a combination of two words. 'Leg' means flexible, while 'Gong' refers to the gamelan instrument. Back in the old days, they could only perform this dance inside the royal palace.
PENARI BALI
By D. Sonjaya
To the casual observer, Dudum Sonjaya might seem like an unfamiliar name in the Indonesian art scene. He was, in fact, the one who documented the writing of Indonesia's declaration of independence in Rengasdengklok, West Java through his sketches. Amazingly, he was only ten at the time. His talents did not go unnoticed. Dudum Sonjaya went to Japan to study art with the help of President Soekarno's private secretary and the first director of Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia, RJ Katamsi, and Dasa'at, the founder of Sarinah Jakarta. After spending a few years in Japan, he continued his studies at the Netherlands. Upon returning to Indonesia, Sonjaya resided in Bali for some time. There, his fascination for the art and culture of Bali grew, and he created many paintings that have Bali as the central theme. One of those paintings is this one titled "Balinese Dancer," which has now become part of Le Meridien Jakarta's collection.
KURA KURA
By D'widjo Widianto
Sometimes it is easy to forget that we are sharing this world with so many other living beings. From millions and millions of these creatures, each among them has its own unique characteristics. This diversity piques our interests, and many have sought to capture those characteristics in their memories. It is what D'widjo Widianto has done by painting turtles on his canvas. Turtles are reptiles that come in many different species. Some live on the land, and others on freshwater. Not only are they diverse in species, but the shells that they carry on their backs and the patterns you find on them also differ from one turtle to another. One of the biggest turtles known in existence is the Aldabra giant tortoise with a lifespan of hundreds of years. There