WATERCOLOR PAINTING BY - Tadeus Gerald SUSANTO
FACE FOR THE FACELESS
(SEMARANG (KOLCAI)) - 2024
This artwork depicts an older man making a traditional Javanese mask. The old man is what I call an "old master" of his craft, working diligently and precisely to make the mask. The meaning of this artwork comes from a saying that someone's face is a reflection of their soul, the masks are a reflection of Java's beautiful culture, and the older man making the masks is making them so that people can express their culture through the masks.
MOTHER (JAPAN (JIWI)) – 2024
This artwork depicts a mother and her son, both of Mongolian descent. The drawing has a warm feel to it; the baby's face is plump and expressive, and the mom's face is caring and nurturing, always watching over her kid. However, the clothing is the most essential part of this drawing, with all of its textile patterns scattered throughout and the lighting of the mom's and babies' hats, particularly my favorite part of the drawing.
BALINESE GIRL (VIETNAM) – 2023
This drawing depicts a Balinese girl posing for a photo. I'd say the main focus of the drawing is her head; a combination of her expression, the detail in her pupils, and the colors used in her face really make her face feel alive. Her hair is delicate and has a slight blue tint to make it more interesting; her hair is tied in a bun and decorated with beautiful flowers from Bali. The background is meant to be an abstract representation of flower petals.
DREAM (FRANCE) – 2023
This drawing shows a girl navigating through her dream world. To depict that, I represented expiration with her riding a boat with a lantern in her hand. The environment is oceanic, with all sorts of sea creatures circling her. She explores this dream world with awe and wonders how long she has been able to appreciate it.
THE POTASSIUM (NATIONAL GALLERY (INDONESIA)) – 2023
This drawing depicts two older women working their day-to-day jobs selling bananas in their messy old shophouses. The story behind the drawing is that my art teacher notified me that Indonesia's National Gallery was holding their annual art show and was looking for an artist to put in it. When I got this information, I only had 2 weeks to finish the artwork, which explains the very rough feel of it; half of those 2 weeks, I had COVID and worked on the drawing while having an IV drip. But in the end, the effort was worth it.
