Wayang style is a style of

puppetry Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performan ...

influenced by the Indonesian wayang kulit, in which human figures and those that are supernatural are depicted as flat and very two-dimensional. This style was commonly used in

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern and so ...

during the

Majapahit Empire Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was based on the island of Java (in modern-day Indonesi ...

, which lasted from about 1293 AD to around 1500 AD. How the images are depicted may vary slightly but should in fact meet some if not all of a set standard. Such criteria would include the representation of characters by way of the form of the figures, their decorations and the gestures they are displaying. These conditions are the same that are followed when creating the wayang kulits. As characters where developed they were infused with symbolism that were used to project who they are, by both their appearance and their character as an individual. For example, shadow puppets of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

are designed with his figure looking straight forward as symbol of bravery. It is safe to assume that other figures that are depicted looking straight ahead are believed to be brave in character. The decoration of a figure also says a lot about them. Characters that have little decoration are perceived as being more refined and those that are garishly decorated are considered to be less refined. Examples of wayang style can be seen in relief sculptures and in paintings. The relief sculptures at the Candi Jago in East

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

are narratives of the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

and are good examples of wayang style. Throughout the relief the background imagery is very dynamic with the suggestion of depth. However, the focal points which are the figures are very static and flat in comparisons to the rest of the relief sculpture. An example in the

Klungkung Klungkung Regency is the smallest regency (''kabupaten'') on Bali, Indonesia. It has an area of 315 km2 and had a population at the 2010 Census of 170,543 which increased to 206,925 at the Census of 2020. The administrative centre for the reg ...

region of

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

at the

Kertha Gosa Pavilion The Kertha Gosa Pavilion is an example of Balinese architecture located on the island of Bali, in city Klungkung, Indonesia. The Kertha Gosa Pavilion at Klungkung Palace was built in the early 18th century by Dewa Agung Gusti Sideman. Kertha Gosa ...

is a series of painted murals that occupy nine levels and is done in the wayang style. The relation of the imagery and the wayang kulit are seen more clearly thanks to the use of color. The flat figures of the mural are given life and a sense of character thought the use of decorative patterning and color, which are the same or similar to those used when these mythological and religious characters where translated into wayang kulit.

References

* Holt, Claire.(1967) ''Art in Indonesia : continuities and change'' Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press. {{ISBN, 0-8014-0188-7 * Javanese culture Balinese culture