Charcoal
and Coloured 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 coloured 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 coloured 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.
