Children's book illustrations get a thorough view<\/p>\n
Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Every nation has its own typical characteristics. The same is
\ntrue of Indonesian children's book illustrations, which differ
\nfrom those of other countries, as displayed in the International
\nExhibition of Children's Book Illustrations at Gallery 678 in
\nKemang, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The event, jointly organized by the Embassy of Slovakia, the
\nSociety for the Advancement of Children's Literature and the
\nChildren's Book Lovers Group under Dr. Murti Bunanta, presents
\n189 works from 27 countries including Slovakia, Japan, Holland,
\nRussia, Italy, Canada and host Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Suyadi, a story teller and illustrator better known as Pak
\nRaden, applies legend and wayang (shadow puppet) idioms to the
\nillustration of his book, Gerhana (eclipse). Hardiyono also uses
\nthe same style for Murti Bunanta's Legenda Putri Bunga (Putri
\nBunga's legend), exceptionally combined with spreads of
\nastronomical black dots produced by pen tips.<\/p>\n
GM Sudarta, famous for his Om Pasikom cartoons in the Kompas
\ndaily newspaper, adopts the representation of a poor village girl
\nfor Swidak Loro (Sixty-two), whereas I Ketut Nama illustrates
\nMade Karo's Bawang dan Kesuma (Garlic and Flower) by means of the
\nfairly intricate idioms of Balinese traditional painting.<\/p>\n
Works of foreign illustrators in the display, with their
\ndiverse idioms, techniques and approaches, are winners of the
\nBiennial Illustrations Bratislava (BIB) book illustration
\ncompetition. BIB has held 18 contests in 33 years, each
\npresenting five Golden Apples, five Plaques, an Honorable Mention
\nfor a publisher and a Grand Prix BIB Award. Forty thousand works
\nfrom 4,487 illustrators from 90 countries, including Indonesia,
\nhave been collected.<\/p>\n
Golden Apple 1999 winner Peter Uchnar of Slovakia has the
\nlargest number of works on exhibit, mostly exploring European
\nmyths in the form of delicate paintings and graphics. Yet the
\nworks, composed in great detail and with accuracy, appear without
\ntitles. One of them, depicting a dead greedy man being tied on
\nthe ground from head to toe, gives an air of euphoria and revenge
\nakin to the atmosphere of reform in Indonesia when president
\nSoeharto was brought down.<\/p>\n
Jan Jutte of the Netherlands, winner of a BIB Plaque in 1999,
\nflaunts his humorous elephant lying and being teased by two boys
\nin the sun, which is quite communicative. Italy's Roberto
\nImnocuti with his Rose Blance, a Golden Apple entry in 1985,
\nshows a child with a flower in his hand standing between damaged
\nbarbed wire fences and armed troops in a representation of the
\ncruelty of war.<\/p>\n
Yessy Gusman, Indonesia's teenage star of the 1970s and now a
\npainting enthusiast, visited the exhibition with a group of
\nchildren to watch and practice illustrating. While Yessy claimed
\nto be attracted by the typical features of all the drawings,
\nSisca, a fifth-grade elementary school student, chose Sudarta's
\nlice-hunting picture as her favorite.<\/p>\n
In Suyadi's view, the esthetic value of children's book
\nillustrations is important, but their communicative value is no
\nless significant. American illustrations are particularly
\ncommunicative so that their message is well conveyed, while those
\nof Europe are less so.<\/p>\n
The exhibition is like a cool breeze from Slovakia that should
\nprompt us to wake up to the reality of Indonesian children's book
\nillustrations. As a provisional note, bilingual -- Indonesian and
\nEnglish -- story books worth Rp 1 million a set have beautiful
\npictures, while by contrast, books for lower middle class people
\ncarry inferior illustrations. This is a home work for
\nillustrators and publishers in the country.<\/p>\n
I-BOX:<\/p>\n
International Children's Book Illustrations runs until Sept. 11
\nGaleri 678, Jl. Kemang Raya, No. 32 South Jakarta
\ntel. (021) 71792164-7196007, or galeri678@yahoo.com<\/p>",
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