I Nyoman Sukari (b. 1968, Karangasem) stood out as a painter of immense creativity, sensitivity, and artistic endurance. While painting works true to the Balinese tradition, he used an aggressive yet unique depiction of common themes that set him apart from other Balinese artists.
Like many young artists of his time, Sukari was trying to make a distinctive statement in his works. The consequent distinction in his work was the boldness of his style. His color palette consisted mainly of dark earthen colors, but he used them with a confidence then unseen in traditional painters. Painting with an urgency and energy that makes his style distinctly expressionist, Sukari expressed assertiveness and emotion in his brushstroke as well. His figures are larger than life, filling the picture plane. Their dominating presence forces itself upon the viewer, compelling him to become part of it. Sukari used this bold, intrusive style to constrain one to act in his play – to take part in his social commentary on everyday Balinese society.
Although he concentrated on the figurative, Sukari’s characterization of subject was unique. He painted his women in a manner that managed to convey inner emotions and expressiveness within an almost mask-like face. Consequently, these female figures seem mysterious and withdrawn, almost defined by the surrounding space. The men he painted are grotesque, so exaggerated that even a common man was made monumental. In the few works depicting men and women together, conflict is the most evident sensation. The pure, serene facades of the women contrast with the heavy features of the men, like a