Drawing inspiration from the elegant Mt. Merapi<\/p>\n
By Agus Dermawan T.<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Central Java's Mt. Merapi is an endless
\nsource of aestheticism. It is a large part of the landscape and
\nits natural elegance is forever the focus of attention for the
\npeople living around it.<\/p>\n
The beauty of Mt. Merapi, both when it stands silently against
\nblue skies or when it spews lava, has also touched artists
\nthroughout the ages. The painters of Mooi Indie (Beautiful
\nIndonesia) couldn't resist the temptation to paint when they saw
\nthe mountain. L. Eland, a Dutch painter of the early 20th century
\nwho was deeply in love with the plains in Sumatra, could only
\nstare in admiration when he saw the volcano. He painted the
\nmountain several times. Merapi evoked the same feeling in other
\nDutch painters and photographers. They included Hendrik Paulides,
\nA.A. J. Payen, Lebret, Carel L. Dake Jr. and J.J. de Vries.
\nPhilippine artist F. Amorsolo became famous in Indonesia for his
\nworks on Merapi.<\/p>\n
The volcano is a sight that never ceases to stimulate the soul
\nand the hands of painters to capture its beauty. Raden Saleh, the
\npioneer of Indonesian modern painting, was among those who took
\npride in Merapi. He recorded its beauty from various angles. Some
\nof them are among his best works. A museum in the Netherlands
\ndisplays one of his Merapi paintings.<\/p>\n
Another of his paintings, The Eruption of Merapi Volcano, at
\nNight (61.8 x 104 cm), was auctioned by Christie's last March. It
\nwas done from a very unique angle and is rich in detail. The
\nmountain is spouting lava, and the billowing smoke is manifested
\nthrough a very refined impasto technique whose details are deeply
\nmoving. The burning liquid running down the mountain is like
\nbursting fireworks at a celebration. Far in the background, a
\nfull moon witnesses the event.<\/p>\n
The painting, made in 1866, was bought buy an English
\ncollector for S$300,000. That amounts to Rp 490 million,
\nincluding tax.<\/p>\n
The spell of Merapi is indeed costly. Painter Abdullah
\nSuriosubroto painted the mountain countless times. Although most
\nof his works have found their way out of Indonesia, some of them,
\nincluding Pemandangan di Sekitar Jawa Tengah (The Scenery Around
\nCentral Java), are kept at the state palace. Many of Abdullah's
\nMerapi paintings date from between 1925 and 1940.<\/p>\n
His son, Basoeki Abdullah, followed in his footsteps and
\nproduced countless Merapi paintings. Basoeki described the
\nvolcano as something mysterious and magical, 'wudele Jowo' (the
\ncenter of Java). This explains the late painter's unusual
\nseriousness every time he worked on a Merapi painting.<\/p>\n
Painter Dullah had an unforgettable story about Merapi. In
\n1949, former President Sukarno asked the member of the Seniman
\nMuda Indonesia (Indonesian Young Artists) group painting a
\ndepiction of the nation's struggle against the Dutch colonial
\ngovernment. Dullah came up with a bigger painting than he had
\nbeen asked for and that made the president angry. He was forced
\nto cut down the painting, called Persiapan Gerilya (Preparing for
\na Guerrilla Attack). The incident upset Dullah a lot but his
\ndisappointment vanished when he saw Merapi again. He then painted
\na new object on the cut down painting, Hutan di Gunung Merapi
\n(Kaliurang) (Forest in Mt. Merapi\/Kaliurang) which eventually
\njoined Sukarno's collection.<\/p>\n
\"The beauty of Merapi lies not only in its peak, but also in
\nits base,\" Dullah claimed.<\/p>\n
Widayat believes that the beauty of the volcano lies in its
\nfires. In 1989, he painted the mountain on a 1.5 x 1.5 meter
\ncanvas. The painting, entitled Gunung Merapi, (Mount Merapi),
\ndepicts the enormity of Merapi's dreadfulness when it is
\nerupting.<\/p>\n
Widayat's view of Merapi as a awesome and dreadful thing was
\nfurther supported by last month's eruption. The volcanic eruption
\nmoved him to produce new watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings.
\nHe not only captured the erupting volcano, but also the villagers
\nwho scattered when Merapi began spewing lava.<\/p>\n
The paintings are now on display at Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta
\nin an exhibition organized by the Kompas daily and Bentara Budaya
\nYogyakarta. The proceeds of the sale of the paintings, which will
\nbe displayed until Jan. 19, will go to the victims of last
\nmonth's Merapi eruption.<\/p>",
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