Dandung reveals the power of colors

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 10/23/2006 10:51 AM  |  Life

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Taking a glimpse at several paintings by Dandung B. Kahono, one can quickly conclude that the 57-year-old painter adores colors and contours as well.

True.

Most of his paintings on display at the Elcanna Art Gallery in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, portray temples, urban houses, paddy fields and Balinese houses of worship.

All of them are rich in colors, too.

""Color is my breath. The harmony of colors in my paintings is the harmony of my life,"" Dandung said at the opening of his solo painting exhibition here recently.

Titled Colors In Concerto, his first solo exhibition will run until Nov.5 with a break on Oct.23-27 due to Idul Fitri festivities.

Born in Magelang, a small town close to Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Dandung got no support from his parents when he revealed his intention to become a painter.

The restriction did not stop him. Indeed, it strengthened his motivation and drove him to work harder to find the combination of colors that he preferred.

Ultimately, he saw perfect a combination of colors in sesajen or bebanten (offerings of fruit and vegetables) brought by the Balinese to houses of worship during rituals.

Dandung's adventure with color is astounding in Upacara Di Puri Batur (Ritual At Batur Temple). The painting depicts a crowd of Balinese people performing prayers before a temple.

Seven banners -- white, yellow and red -- stand high in front of the Puri Batur temple, which is painted in combination of purple and vermilion.

Dandung's paintings are even more scintillating with some lines drawn on canvas directly from the tube, leaving rough contours on the canvas.

This painting quickly drew the attention of the guests. Not only because of its alluring beauty but also because it is put right in front of the gallery's staircase.

Another intriguing painting is Prambanan, which portrays the Hindu temple in vermilion and yellow with leaves of a tree in the foreground. The sky is painted in light blue.

Fine art critic Agus Dermawan T. noted that Dandung's exploitation of colors had helped him disobey some principles in the realism genre.

""Hills and houses might be natural. But, he (Dandung) often paints the sky in red and the earth in blue,"" Agus said.

In Wis Meh Senja Nang Borobudur (Almost Sunset in Borobudur), Dandung draws the Buddha Temple from a distance with a combination of colors.

Green and gray for the temple, green for the ground and purple for the sky.

His exploration of colors even more obvious in Candi Gedung Songo (Gedung Songo Temple), in which he paints the sky in color grade -- midnight blue, navy blue, azure and light blue.

Dandung, however, paints the soil below in red and yellow.

""Like a composer, Dandung arranges colors and lines and make them like musical composition in concert. Thus, Colors In Concerto,"" said Grace Carla Suherman, owner of Elcanna Art Gallery.

In painting, Dandung's technique is called fauvism -- the use of bright colors, strong defining contours and a sharp contrast of light and shadows.

His colorful paintings have helped Dandung to travel abroad. In 2005, he participated in an auction at Sotheby's, Singapore, and in 2003 he joined an exhibition in Japan.

With his strong passion on painting, it is not impossible for Dandung to travel farther in the days ahead.

Colors In Concerto

Elcanna Art Gallery Jl. Pakubuwono VI No.35 Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta Phone: (62-21) 721 1101, 721 1121

From Oct.18 to Nov.5 (except Idul Fitri holidays) Monday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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