Asian watercolor artists paint lives<\/p>\n
Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The slabs of stone, large and small, are in a row. They are
\nsilent and remain in their own places, basking in the tropical
\nsunshine. The slabs of stone seem to groan, reminding us of the
\nhard lot of Indonesian migrant workers now stranded in Nunukan
\nfollowing their eviction from Malaysia, where they pin their
\nlives and their future.<\/p>\n
This is the picture called The Calling of Stones, 2001 by
\nTaiwanese water color painter Hsieh Ming-Chang, one of 139
\nparticipants in Asia Watercolor 2002, an exhibition held by the
\n15th Asian Watercolor Confederation at the Indonesian National
\nGallery, Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur 14, Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Apart from 28 Taiwanese watercolor painters, the participants
\nare made up of watercolor painters from Hongkong (8), host
\nIndonesia (29), and Korea (14), all supported by their respective
\nwatercolor painters association such as the Indonesian Watercolor
\nSociety, Hongkong Modern Art Society of Watercolors, the Korean
\nWatercolor Development Group and the Chinese Watercolor
\nAssociation of Taiwan.<\/p>\n
There are 58 invited painters from Indonesia (among others
\nAbdullah Suriosubroto, Antonio Blanco, Arie Smit, Liem Tjoe Ing,
\nHuang Fong, Srihadi Sudarsono and Nyoman Gunarsa), Australia,
\nAustria, Brunei Darussalam, Macau, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the
\nPhilippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom and USA.<\/p>\n
Watching this exhibition, we seem to be invited to savor the
\nsensitivity of each and every participating artist in reading
\nlife through their spread of various colors, the play of their
\nstrokes and the traces of their paintbrushes with their own
\ncharacter.<\/p>\n
Apart from stones, we can see the vigorous Dragon Boat Race by
\nChan Kau-On of Hongkong, the dynamic Legong Dancer by Barli of
\nIndonesia, the poetic View of Harbor by Sriyanto, the shady Mt.
\nBukhan by Kim Cheol Woo of Korea and the expressive sketch lines
\nin Nude Image Collection by Kim Jin-Doo.<\/p>\n
Besides, we can also observe the gripping Mountain and Boat by
\nPan Chang Zen (China), the highly harmonious Fishing Boats on the
\nBay by Srihadi Soedarsono (Indonesia), the warm Bird Market in
\nMalang by Tamara De Fretes, the prominent appearance of a machete
\nin Good Luck for Young Rice by Chang Fee Ming (Malaysia) and the
\nincense smoke in Chinese Temple Jakarta by Trina Bohan-Tyrie
\n(USA, a resident of Jakarta).<\/p>\n
The exhibition also features some abstract paintings such as
\nCosmis Image by Ha Biek-Chuen of Hongkong, in which rocks and
\nfaces are explored, and the works of Korean painters, namely, Joy
\nof Life by Kim Jong Soo, with the dominant blue color and various
\nshort lines, The Mountain by Kwon Kyung Yoen, with the dominant
\ncolors of orange and light yellow plus a blue triangle, The Chaos
\nin Mind by Lee Bung-Lyol, which features eyes and a teardrop
\ntoward a hole, as well as In the Nature by Lee Jung-Hoo, which
\ndepicts blue waves on the red horizon with a red circle over it
\nand a yellow circle underneath.<\/p>\n
From the language of paintings in this exhibition, we can
\nconclude that watercolor painters from various countries continue
\nto experience their emotional tumult, particularly in maximizing
\nthe use of watercolor as a means of their expression.<\/p>\n
Indeed, in general, watercolor painters, particularly those
\nfrom Indonesia, are still very much absorbed in conventional
\ntechniques and objects. Korean watercolor painters and some from
\nHongkong, for example, have shown their great desire to go out of
\nthis form.<\/p>\n
Conventionally, water color is used thinly so that it gives
\nthe impression of gentleness. However, in the works by Korean
\npainters in this exhibition, particularly in abstract works, we
\nsee how water color is treated as if it were oil paint. That's
\nwhy the nuances of the water are no longer visible or felt.<\/p>\n
Is this wrong, then? Of course, not. For contemporary
\npainters, the medium is treated as only a medium of expression.
\nWhile before there was a saying that the medium was the message
\nitself, this saying no longer applies now. This, of course, has
\nstimulated the creativity of the painters as well as critics,
\ncollectors, art journalists and art buffs in general.<\/p>\n
For Indonesian artists, in particular those using water color
\nas their medium, this exhibition is a valuable opportunity to
\nlearn a good lesson - the plus and the minuses - from the works
\nexhibited. We know that the curator of this exhibition is a bit
\nlax. Perhaps, what matters is the opportunity for watercolor
\npainters from many countries to get together and exchange
\nexperiences.<\/p>\n
--The exhibition is held at the Indonesian National Gallery,
\nJl. Medan Merdeka Timur 14, Central Jakarta, until September 12)<\/p>",
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