The expressionistic works of Indonesian maestro Nyoman Gunarsa are inspired by folk tales from Balinese culture and Hindu legends. The artist's formal explorations in composition are based dominantly on the rich artistic heritage of Bali, with themes centred on local dances, gamelan music and wayang puppets combined with western academic art principles. Nyoman Gunarsa excelled at depicting the charm of Balinese dancers in motion. Moonlight Dancer demonstrates the artist's talent for capturing the expression of dancer and elegant movement, through freeing brushstrokes and exquisite colour palette. Nyoman Gunarsa was given Bali's Dharma Kusuma Cultural Award in 1994, and the President of Indonesia's Satyalan Cana Cultural Award in 2003. His other awards include the Pratisara Affandi Adi Karya Art Award (1976) and the Lempad Prize (1980). He also won the Jakarta Biennale II and IV award in 1978 and 1980 respectively. Nyoman studied at the Indonesian Academy of Fine Arts (Asri) in Yogyakarta in 1976. He was a founding member of the Sanggar Dewata (Superior Artist Studio) in Bali in 1970, which is dedicated to helping Indonesian artists.