At the age of eight, young Darlun made statues by imitating his father, a farmer who was also good at carving. His first statue was a bird that stood 1.2 meters high and was sold for about 1.5 rupiah. Life for Darlun’s father was tough. Darlun only studied until fourth grade in Government School. Since then, he began to learn how to make statues from sculptors in the village until he settled down once he met Ida Bagus Tilem (1936-1994).
Style wise, Darlun’s pieces are works with dynamic compositions that are not just ornamental. The jagged carvings on the surface of the statue are only done when necessary. The remaining parts are smoothened out. It has been said that this was the “renewal” style that was done by Ida Bagus Njana (1912-1985), which was then continued by his son, Ida Bagus Tilem.
Regarding the movement seen in his statues, it is true that the Balinese like things that are dynamic and overflowing with detail. Darlun himself does not expect much from his descendants. In one of our interviews, Darlun said the following line about his children, “They aren’t forced. Each person has his own fortune”. Out of his five children, only the fourth, Ketut Widana, continues his father’s path.
