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Abstract

The temple reliefs of East Java constitute one of the main categories of the material tradition that reflects not only the aesthetic taste of Javanese culture, but also its spiritual viewpoint and the socio-cultural milieu that characterized early Javanese society. In addition to being abstract visual texts, these reliefs also embody and represent cultural identity and values. The proposed research will analyze the visual structure of temple reliefs using a visual language (Bahasa Rupa) approach and visual design theory by examining the four principal visual components (line, plane, proportion, and visual rhythm) that together form the formal structure of these reliefs, each of which carries some degree of associative meaning. The method of the proposed research is qualitative-descriptive and will involve analyzing the reliefs of two significant temples, Candi Jago (Singhasari period) and Candi Penataran (Majapahit period), using direct field observation, photographic documentation and literary sources. The four visual components will each have implications for representing hierarchy, narrative sequencing and spiritual meaning. The way in which the proposed research envisions scenarios of stories using a variety of strategies demonstrates the complexity of the aesthetically embedded cultural system rather than the Western conceptualization of art. This research is expected to significantly enhance the current understanding of Nusantara aesthetics as well as facilitate the re-evaluation of the traditional visual cultural heritage from both a formal and contextual standpoint.

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