01 November 2013

Applauding Javanese Artists

Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of over 145 million, Java is home to c 60 % of the Indonesian population and is the most populous island on Earth.
In the central Javanese court cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, contemporary kings trace their lineages back to the prae-colonial Islamic kingdoms that ruled the region, making those places especially strong repositories of classical Javanese culture.

The Javanese dance is created and influenced by the distinctive Javanese culture, often with controlled, deliberate and refined movements. It's usually associated with the courtly and sophisticated culture of the royal palaces aka kratons. The Javanese dance has a somewhat meditative quality and tends to be more self-reflective, introspective and more oriented toward self-understanding. It is usually associated with wayang wong aka wayang orang and the palaces of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, due to the nature of the dance being a pusaka or sacred heirloom from the ancestors of the palace rulers.
 
photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, make-up, actor, performer, fake moustache, headgear, Indonesia, wayang wong, wayang orang, Surakarta, Sriwedari Theatre, Javanese dance, Mahabharata, Ramayana, dancer, posing

photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, make-up, actor, performer, fake moustache, headgear, Indonesia, wayang wong, Surakarta, Sriwedari Theatre, Javanese dance, Mahabharata, wayang orang, Ramayana, dancer, posing

photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, make-up, actor, performer, fake moustache, headgear, Indonesia, wayang wong, Surakarta, Sriwedari Theatre, Javanese dance, Mahabharata, wayang orang, Ramayana, dancer, posing

photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, make-up, actor, performer, mask, Indonesia, wayang wong, Java, Javanese dance, wayang orang, dancer, posing, Surakarta

photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, make-up, actor, performer, mask, Indonesia, wayang wong, Java, Javanese dance, wayang orang, dancer, posing, smoking, cigarette, Surakarta


The wayang wong dance dramas in the central Javanese kratons of Yogyakarta and Surakarta represent the epitome of the distinctive Javanese culture. It is total theatre involving dance, drama, music, visual arts, language, and literature.

photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, make-up, mask, actor, performer, headgear, Indonesia, wayang wong, Surakarta, Sriwedari Theatre, Javanese dance, Mahabharata, wayang orang, Ramayana, dancer, posing

photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, fake moustache, headgear, Indonesia, wayang wong, Surakarta, Sriwedari Theatre, Javanese dance, Mahabharata, wayang orang, Ramayana, dancer, performer, posing

photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, headgear, Indonesia, wayang wong, Surakarta, Sriwedari Theatre, Javanese dance, Mahabharata, wayang orang, Ramayana, dancer, performer, posing

photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, Indonesia, wayang wong, Surakarta, Javanese dance, wayang orang, dancer, performer, posing, beautiful, make-up


The pesindhèn (informally: sindhen) are female solo singers who sing with a gamelan orchestra. They may perform in unaccompanied music, dance, or wayang wong performances.






As the center of Javanese courtly culture, Surakarta is also the centre of all royal Javanese dances. Wayang wong is routinely performed in a wayang wong theatre in Sriwedari park.

photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, Indonesia, wayang wong, Surakarta, Javanese dance, wayang orang, dancer, performer, posing, make-up, blangkon, head cloth

photo, portrait, Facing the World, © Matt Hahnewald, artist, 50 mm prime lens, Nikon DSLR D3100, Indonesia, wayang wong, Surakarta, Javanese dance, wayang orang, dancer, performer, posing, fake moustache, make-up


High-res portrait photographs with full exif data, precise geotags and technical details in Matt Hahnewald's