Abstract
Mask painting is a form of instrument in art therapy to assess (Trepal-Wollenzier & Wester, 2002) and to be utilized as a therapeutic device (Janzing, 1986). In Jungian psychology, mask reflects human expression that represents individual relations to the environment (Konijn & Hoorn, 2017). Creating a mask is projecting the self into mask form (Malchiodi, 2010). In children art therapy, the therapist asks children to create masks they want to play for and followed by theatrical play where the children play their roles (Landy, 1985). In this preliminary research on adolescents, five males and five females participated in mask painting to project how they would prefer to see themselves take social roles in the society. The participants were asked to decorate their masks by using acrylic paints and explained the character of the masks they made. They were interviewed to explain the reasons for choosing the characters and how these characters relate significantly to their social roles. The results indicate that the male participants tended to use more spontenous brush-strokes and admited that they preferred to participate socially in a more spontaneous manner; whereas the female participants preferred to be more cautious in taking their social roles, and they painted the masks in more cautious way. Although this research is still in form of preliminary study, it is expected to inspire further research on mask painting in greater population across ethnic and cultures, for interculturally there may be different forms of expressions between gender.
Author Information
Vivian Chandra, Tarumanagara University, Indonesia
Monty P. Satiadarma, Tarumanagara University, Indonesia
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