The Soldier Personality Traditional Bali Character Painting, "Prangbakat"

"I'm Lugiono and I was born in Yogyakarta, the cultural capital of Java, in 1953. One of the most endearing features of Javanese culture of that time was the wayang kulit shadow puppet theater. The first performance I attended filled me with awe and delight, and I am still fascinated by this art form.

"Our shadow puppet theater has a large cast of mythical characters — gods and demons, kings and soldiers, villains and heroes come to life behind a large white screen. Accompanied by a traditional ensemble, the dalang, or puppeteer, is the master of ceremonies and manipulates the figures and voices. Ancient tales are brought to life from sacred Hindu and Buddhist texts, along with other old and new stories. The drama, humor, tragedy and suspense are endlessly entertaining.

"As a child, I was obsessed with the wayang kulit shadow puppets and watched performances all the time. I remember when I struggled to stay awake, then I fell asleep, only to wake up and keep watching.

"My paintings are mostly inspired by puppet performances and the Javanese symbols called wuku, which is a week in the Javanese calendar and there are a total of 30 wukus in a year.

"After high school, I graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts."

Lugiono has exhibited his work in a number of Javanese venues, and won the Asian Fellowships award, the Indonesia Air Force Anniversary painting competition, the Affandi Prize for visual painting, and the Pratitha Adikarya award for painting, graphics and illustration.