Man Rukmana

Man Rukmana, born in 1961, has known art ever since he could remember. Currently residing inside his tranquil studio in The Stones Arcade building complex around the Stone Hotel area, his art revolves around love and beauty. Harmony among human beings is one of the main ideas that he wants to express throughout his works which are currently exhibited at The Gate88 until August 31st.
How did you become an artist?
Ever since I was a kid, I loved painting and the arts. However, due to my parents preferring their kids to be scholars rather than artists, I got into an accounting school and become an accountant for a bank. There was someone who always came to the bank I worked with with loads of cash to save. I got to know him better then found out that he was a painter. He then managed to get me into the painting world. He showed me that by pouring my passion into my artworks I could do better financially. Certainly, financial motives are not my sole reason to pursue art. I made my own market by offering my works to public places such as restaurants. I choose to do that rather than producing art for what the customers want. Thus, I got to paint what my heart desires.
What kind of technique and style do you use in your painting?
At first, I let myself explore any kind of style in painting. I don’t believe that there should be any particular style to follow. Art is not an absolute thing. You need to let yourself evolve through time. However, I do have a style and technique that I favour which is called purism. Purism is the development of cubism which allows you to do more exploration and not solely limited to strokes or lines.
What makes a good painting according to you?
Good materials will represent a good result. Good materials will produce a quality painting. Moreover, there are other aspects like sufficient colour depth, favorable painting concept, diverting art processes, adequate composition, and most importantly, the expressions of the object which need to appear alive. However, it all goes back to an individual’s taste.
What do you want to convey through your work?
I want to portray harmony throughout the images and objects that I paint. For me, there are many kinds of harmonies. The harmony implicitly conveyed among the objects such as a mother and her daughter, families, husband and wife, interaction of human beings and the beauty of nature. Conclusively, I want to deliver ideas that could not be described with any verbal language about love and beauty.