Hidajat holds true to his principles<\/p>\n
By Chandra Johan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A rosy view of life used to be the dominant
\ntrend in Indonesian painting. The most popular paintings were
\nthose that invoked happy feelings in the viewer. The art works
\nwere usually created according to formal esthetic formulas, with
\nartists strictly following traditional rules of composition.<\/p>\n
If a painter was inclined to tell a story through a painting,
\nhe would very likely choose a light-hearted theme. Never could we
\nexpect a story about somber realities, let alone chaos.<\/p>\n
But not all painters succumbed to such market demands at the
\nexpense of their principles. A few artists did not care if they
\nwere marginalized, as long as they did not give up their own
\nfundamental truths. Hidajat LPD belonged to this rare species.<\/p>\n
Hidajat has been fiercely clinging to his ideals and resisting
\nmarket demand, so his name is rarely mentioned in local painting
\ndiscourses. One reason for this, perhaps, is that he rarely holds
\nexhibitions.<\/p>\n
His name resurfaced when he held a joint exhibition with a
\nmore well-known painter, Jeihan, at Cipta II TIM Gallery on April
\n27. Renowned poet Sutardji Calzoum Bachri mentioned him in his
\ntalk about arts in the 1970s. Among fellow artists and cultural
\nobservers, Hidajat is a big name.<\/p>\n
His artist friends see an extraordinary spirit for life in his
\nthin body. Many liken him to the late painter Nashar, in that he
\nnever surrendered to popular market demands, which have
\ncontrolled the direction of art here over the past few years.<\/p>\n
\"Perhaps people will remember (the late poet) Khairil Anwar
\nwhen they talk about the spirit of life,\" said Sutardji. \"But I
\nwill also give credit to Hidajat ... His energy for life is often
\ngreater than the reality of life itself.\"<\/p>\n
A true artist always has ideas, dreams, obsessions or hopes
\nwhich are greater than their daily realities. Maybe it is because
\nof his tremendous spirit that in the 1970s Hidajat took up more
\nthan one field of art.<\/p>\n
Besides painting, he wrote essays and plays. In 1974, he
\nstirred up controversy when he sneered at the \"polygon\" poems
\nchampioned by Goenawan Mohamad and Sapardi Djokodamono as
\n\"uninnovative and of low quality\".<\/p>\n
One of his plays was titled Valium 100 (100 Drugs). It
\ncontained criticisms of the materialism of some people of the
\nperiod.<\/p>\n
\"You can imagine that you will be intoxicated after taking
\nfive pills, let alone 100 pills,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Later, he chose painting as the medium to concentrate on. His
\nworks reflect the social and humanitarian problems he is
\nconcerned about.<\/p>\n
He does not offer visual beauty by way of pleasant textures,
\nbrilliant colors or beautiful subjects.<\/p>\n
Hidajat doesn't attempt to invite people to consider esthetic
\nbeauty, rather, he invites one to consider life.<\/p>\n
There is a side of life which is dull and dark and slips from
\nthe attention of the general public. This dark side of life gets
\na new meaning in Hidajat's hands as seen in his works Tarawangsa,
\nTarawangsa III, Kecapi Suling, Kali Pasir and Pulang (Coming
\nHome).<\/p>\n
In these works, Hidajat is keen to catch each situation,
\nespecially the life of common people at night. Using a pallet
\nknife, he generally covers the whole canvass with dark colors,
\nexcept the human figures, which are picked out with bright
\nyellows and white.<\/p>\n
The figures are not portrayed in detail, but overall notions
\nof movements and feelings are apparent. He does not work quickly
\nas expressionists do.<\/p>\n
It is with this contrasting tonal technique that the subjects
\nof his paintings appears somber and tranquil -- and this is where
\nHidajat's strength lies.<\/p>\n
Even when he blots the whole canvass surface with red as in
\nKali Pasir, he glazes the landscape black -- making the sandy
\nriver appear gloomy and tense.<\/p>\n
Hidajat is said to be a specialist in portraying atmosphere.
\nThe painter loves living among the common people. He understands
\nthe living conditions of the people in his community. He has been
\nan ojek (motorbike taxi) driver, a street singer and a ring
\nhawker. In his works, he always tries to look into the deeper
\nmeaning of life.<\/p>\n
\"Once I saw a pregnant ronggeng dancer. She keeps on dancing
\njust to make ends meet. Then I portrayed the dancer as a symbol
\nof hardship; she hid her suffering behind her smile, her simple
\nmovements, passion and pretension.\"<\/p>\n
Hidajat uses a dancer to illustrate the pretension he sees in
\ntoday's society, just like the ronggeng dancer who smiles to hide
\nher bitterness.<\/p>\n
This is what may have inspired him to create a painting he
\ncalls Kita Semua Ronggeng (We Are All Ronggeng Dancers), which
\ndepicts many masked people performing a dance. The front row is
\nfull of figures of generals and beautiful women and men -- all in
\nJavanese wayang (puppet) costumes.<\/p>\n
In this particular work, Hidajat satirically unmasks the
\nhypocrisy people try to hide. The image is dramatic, with dark
\nclouds in the background.<\/p>\n
Besides social realities, Hidajat also produces paintings with
\nhistorical themes, such as Wewayangan, Sejarah Orba (New Order
\nHistory) and Ojo Dumeh (Don't Be Self Righteous). He also paints
\nportraits, dances and criticisms of contemporary society.<\/p>\n
His works are in contrast with those of Jeihan, whose theme of
\nworks revolve around tranquility and no things like social
\nupheavals.<\/p>",
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