Scuptural art: process

There are two ways to give shape to the character or identity of a mask. One is by following a plan. The mask maker knows beforehand who the character is going to be, how he moves; he knows its poses, gestures, voice. In the creative phase that follows, he uses the anatomical play of lines of the human face to build its identity. The lines are exagerated, bent, or distorted, ultimately leaving a few telling lines, indicative of the essence of the character.
The second way is working without a plan. The mask maker allows himself to be lead by that which tries to emerge from the wood, clay, or other material. As mask maker Ida Bagus Anom told him: ‘Listen to what the wood wants to tell you.’ The identity that thus comes into being, will be a surprise for the maker himself as well. Frans calls these masks his ‘free work.’