Hardi's tiger paintings roar with color<\/p>\n
Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A white tiger with yellow and blue spots stalks on full alert.
\nIts eyes stare straight ahead, as if not wanting to let go of its
\nprey. It walks through a million fireflies in the green foliage
\nof the forest. Right on the back of the tiger, there is a circle
\nresembling a red moon.<\/p>\n
This is one of Hardi's paintings, called Macan dan Sejuta
\nKunang-Kunang (Tiger and a Million Fireflies, 2001), an oil
\npainting on canvas. It is one of some 70 paintings and sketches
\nby Hardi now being exhibited in his 17th solo exhibition at
\nGaleri 678.<\/p>\n
In the Year of the Horse, the theme of his exhibition, The
\nCrouching Tiger, reminds us of the award winning film starring
\nChow Yun Fat.<\/p>\n
In his paintings, Hardi presents a lot of tigers. These tigers
\nmostly share a similar position; stalking with the tails curved
\nupwards. Variation in these tigers is obtained by changing the
\ncolor of the tigers' bodies, moving the circular elements and
\nalso manipulating the background colors. Moreover, he has
\nintroduced variation by changing the positions of heads along
\nwith facial expressions.<\/p>\n
In his work called Crouching Tiger Merah (Crouching Red Tiger,
\n2002), oil on canvas, for example, Hardi presents a white tiger
\nwith stripes of red, purple, orange and blue colors in a watchful
\nposition with a fully opened mouth. The background is red. A
\ngolden yellow circle decorated like Chinese calligraphy
\nembellishes the back of the tiger.<\/p>\n
The tiger in Crouching Tiger Biru (Crouching Blue Tiger, 2001)
\nshown on the envelope of the exhibition's catalog-cum-invitation
\ndoesn't give the impression of fierceness as what you find in the
\nred tiger painting. The tiger has white and blue stripes on its
\nbody, bowing its head while its mouth is open wide, showing off
\nits fangs. With its front left leg lifted, it looks as if it is
\nabout to pounce on something. Then the red circle above the hip
\nis divided by a tail that curves upwards.<\/p>\n
As a result, the king of the jungle becomes a graceful and
\npatient creature in Hardi's hands.<\/p>\n
As an experienced painter, and also a member of the New Art
\nMovement, Hardi does not pretend to copy a fact (the tiger) on
\nhis canvas. For him, a tiger is only an idiom or a language of
\nexpressions.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, a tiger is a portrait of Hardi himself in his social
\nlife. Despite his stern look and sharp tongue, he is a humanist.<\/p>\n
Yet, why does Hardi present a tiger as a theme of his works in
\nthis Year of the Horse? The answer is easy. As Hardi has told a
\nfine arts observer who is also the curator of this exhibition,
\nAgus Dermawan T, the painter has not drawn a tiger for five
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Although tigers are the exhibition's theme, not all of the
\npaintings on exhibit are about tigers. Hardi also exhibits some
\nobjects which bear the stamp of his trademark, the \"mooi-Indie\"
\n(post-social criticism) and are well known in the domestic art
\nmarket. These objects include dancers (Betawi and Balinese),
\nfashion models, a haj pilgrimage to the Muslim holy land of Mecca
\nand even his sketches of Bali.<\/p>\n
There are some paintings dwelling on social themes, titled,
\namong others, Bulan Biru Pengungsi (Blue Moon Refugees, 2001),
\nwhich portrays a husband and a wife along with their children and
\na goat looking confused under a blue moon. His painting entitled
\nRezeki Nomplok (2002) (Great Fortune, 2002), done with ink on
\npaper, depicts a woman carrying two big fish and walking with her
\nback towards a black circle burning on the waves.<\/p>\n
Like the late painter Popo Iskandar, Hardi feels obliged to
\nplace the element of a circle on his paintings. The repetition of
\na circle in each of his works has enabled us to capture ritual
\ntones, which perhaps are repetitive journeys, \"going somewhere
\nand returning to the departure point\", with our individual body
\nbeing the center point.<\/p>\n
So, Hardi, an Indonesia Fine Arts Academy (ASRI) graduate once
\ndetained by the military after portraying himself in a silk-
\nscreening graphic work titled Suhardi, 2001 President, continues
\nto roar in the market discourse circles.<\/p>\n
The exhibition will run through March 18, 2002 at Galeri 678 on
\nJl. Kemang Raya No.32, South Jakarta. Telp (021) 71792164<\/p>",
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