Alongside the works of political activists such as the New Art Movement, Semsar and Taring Padi, the mainstream of Indonesian art has long had a strong line of abstract and abstract expressionist art. This art was a feature of the Bandung school based around the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), and was promoted by the US as part of the Cold War struggle against leftist realism, once a hallmark of Yogyakarta’s art school (now Institut Seni Indonesia, ISI). Oel Gustian channes the abstract expressionism of his art styel through this work, that may also have significance to the small fishing towns of Indonesia where many iconic Indonesian artists began their journey.
His portraits are painted with almost child-like strokes and a complex mix of colors to represent the personalities of his subjects.
