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Ratapan Angin depicts a violent windy scenery of a moment where a tree, snapped at its base, will fall over. This is a classically built composition, with varying sharpness and...
Ratapan Angin depicts a violent windy scenery of a moment where a tree, snapped at its base, will fall over. This is a classically built composition, with varying sharpness and details in resolution, and is a hyperrealistic depiction of a nat-ural phenomenon intended to arrest the audience. Maryanto came across this scene while he was hiking at the Dieng Plateau, near Wonosobo, Central Java. Visitors are rewarded after climbing the plateau with a serene view of Telaga Warna, a tricoloured lake that is said to be blue, green and purple. Maryanto uses the symbolism of the fallen tree to illustrate how tourism has changed the view where sacrifice is required to make way for changes, and the wind will no longer blow through the trees.The panoramic site and the village near it currently face a paradox, and its future remains undetermined. With the increasing number of tourists traveling to visit the plateau and lake, the villagers and farmers are presented with job opportunities and the need to develop their infrastructures to accommodate the tourists. While the villagers decided together as a community to develop into a tourist destination, there are repercussions on the land. Trees are being cut down, new structures such as hotels and shops are being built in order to make the picturesque view tourist-friendly. Ironically, in attempting to capture the view of the lake, the developments have also started changing this picturesque landscape. The upside of the development however is that raising awareness of the area also brings the possibility of conservation of these places. The artist himself was caught in a dilemma between bringing our attention to these landscapes through his art, or retaining a selfish desire to preserve it, and for his own selfish enjoyment.