Late Sadali's final paintings on display<\/p>\n
By Amir Sidharta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): When Achmad Sadali passed away in 1987, a solo
\nexhibition of his work was still on display at the Erasmus Huis,
\nJakarta. Perhaps due to space constrictions, there were about 60
\npaintings which were not exhibited, and remained at the painter's
\nhouse-studio.<\/p>\n
These are being displayed for the first time at Edwin's
\nGallery until Oct. 26, in a commemoration of the 10th anniversary
\nof the death of the artist.<\/p>\n
Curator Jim Supangkat explained that the works show the
\nmaster's final stage of artistic development, which was on-going
\nfor approximately 17 years, from around 1970 to 1987.
\nSadali was born in Garut in 1924.<\/p>\n
In 1947, Dutch painters Simon Admiraal and Ries Mulder
\nestablished an educational institution for art teachers. A year
\nlater, Sadali entered the school as one of its first students.
\nUpon graduation in 1953 he was asked to become a lecturer at the
\nschool, which later became the Department of Fine Arts of the
\nBandung Institute of Technology (ITB).<\/p>\n
Influenced by Mulder, his early works showed trends of
\nsynthetic cubism.<\/p>\n
In 1956-1957, he studied fine arts at the State University of
\nIowa, Iowa City. Later he studied at the Art Teachers College,
\nColumbia University, and at the Art Students League, both in New
\nYork City.<\/p>\n
During this time abstract expressionism was fostering in the
\nUnited States, which most likely influenced Sadali's artistic
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
Back home in the early 1960s, Sadali's cubistic style shifted
\nto an abstraction more devoid of form.<\/p>\n
He was among the few Indonesian artists who adopted and then
\nadapted Modernist principles.<\/p>\n
Engaged<\/p>\n
The modern, Sadali wrote, "denotes not solely the notion to
\ndistinguish the present from the past". It was "rather the fact
\nof being engaged in the current movement of human endeavors to
\nunderstand the self, the environment, and the entire universe".<\/p>\n
Modern art, he said, was "an ideological concept. It rejects
\npast modes and aggressively asserts its claim to be the only art
\ntruly reflecting our age."<\/p>\n
He continued, "Modern art is a type of creation exercised by
\ncontemporary artists who make use of every facility existing in
\ntoday's space and time. It involves the effort to find a new
\nground of reality which is a quandary from which modern men can
\nfind no escape."<\/p>\n
At that time realism was the predominant discourse in
\nIndonesian art. Therefore, contradictions between the modern and
\nthe traditional became the main issue of the debates on
\nIndonesian art.<\/p>\n
Sadali indicated he preferred looking forward rather than
\nback. He criticized the painter Kusnadi's opinion on the
\nimportance of Indonesian identity in Indonesian art.<\/p>\n
In an unfinished draft of an article he wrote, "The identity
\nof the nation derived from traditional arts can possibly be read
\nonly if there is a feature that shows a basic aesthetic concept,
\nas in classical Chinese painting."<\/p>\n
Rather, he said, "It is more important for Indonesian artists
\nto feel the space and time that today connects Indonesia's
\nprogress in science and technology with the future."<\/p>\n
The works shows the master's relentless exploration in form,
\nmaterial, and meaning through his art.<\/p>\n
The works range from collages of cushion-like forms or folded
\nfabric arranged in an aesthetic composition, slabs of gold
\nsymbolizing balance, the gunungan (cosmic mountain) for which he
\nis most famous, and spiritual gateways which recur in his work
\ntowards the latter part of his life.<\/p>\n
Gunungan Pertama (First Cosmic Mountain, 1969) is perhaps
\nindeed the artist's very first painting of the cosmic mountain.
\nDone in slightly different saturations of luminous blues, and
\nembellished with slight accents of other colors, the painting
\npresents a truly illuminating impression. A few other forms of
\nthe gunungan form are also presented.<\/p>\n
Supangkat pointed out that Sadali commonly used the geometry
\nbased on the dimensions of the medium he used as the starting
\npoint of his paintings.<\/p>\n
This can clearly be seen in his Gunungan Hitam Putih (Black
\nand White Cosmic Mountain), a telling sketch of the way the
\nartist worked.<\/p>\n
"Sadali used the image of the gunungan as a metaphor for
\nattainment," said Supangkat.<\/p>\n
"This can also be seen in the upper part of the sketch," he
\nsaid. On the zenith of the image above the cosmic mountain, an
\nelement which is a continuation of the mountain's orientation
\ncompletes the picture, symbolizing attainment.<\/p>\n
Artist Satyagraha, who studied with Sadali at ITB, said there
\nwere two aspects of Sadali's art works which he found
\ninteresting.<\/p>\n
Primordial<\/p>\n
"He often starts out with a strict academic approach in his
\nformal composition, but then he brings into his works artistic
\nelements which seem very primordial and spontaneous, which occur
\nthrough processes," he said.<\/p>\n
Satyagraha finds Sadali's work is most successful when the
\nspontaneity is most evident.<\/p>\n
Composition with Orange Vertical Line (1974), a work using
\nacrylics on paper, shows such spontaneity. The painting seems to
\nuse the basic composition of gunungan, but its form is created by
\nburning the middle of the paper, which is then built up with
\nlayers of color and materials.<\/p>\n
There seems to have been no attempt to make the painting
\nbeautiful, yet the final image turned out to be a strong, albeit
\nsmall, composition.<\/p>\n
Supangkat says there are three aspects which Sadali found
\nimportant in his art: mind, feeling and faith.<\/p>\n
Sadali once asserted that "the intensity of faith to some
\nextent depends upon the mind and feelings."<\/p>\n
Sadali's works are often called abstract religious by certain
\nacademics, and this is perhaps the result of his use of Islamic
\ncalligraphy in his art, some of which also appear in the
\nexhibition.<\/p>\n
However, Supangkat said, "Sadali is not trying to convey a
\nkind of transcendental message." Rather, he saw Sadali's art
\nworks as an inquisitive search for an essence.<\/p>\n
Sadali's use of Arabic script in his art, is not as an
\naesthetic element, but rather as an element of meaning. Unlike
\nother artists who often use Arabic script, Sadali does not
\nstylize the calligraphy.<\/p>\n
Rather, he is more interested in the essential meaning of the
\nscript itself.<\/p>\n
Sadali's paintings becomes stages for spiritual dramas in the
\nartist's attempt to achieve an inner transcendence. His struggle
\nfor attainment becomes his creative process in his art.<\/p>\n
The artist also turned his "golden bars" towards the
\nperiphery, creating compositions which focused toward the very
\ncenter of his media.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, they frame a central element, as in Batang-batang
\nMelingkar (Circling Poles) and Ayat-ayat (Verses, 1987). Other
\ntimes, they become gateways.<\/p>\n
Supangkat even sees that some of Sadali's works, such as the
\nKomposisi Latar Biru dan Emas (Composition with blue and gold
\nbackground, 1986) give an impression of a frightening black hole.<\/p>\n
The image of the gateway seemed to be an important element in
\nSadali's works created just before his death in 1987 -- note the
\nseries of retouched prints of this gateway entitled Batang-batang
\nMelingkar.<\/p>\n
Eight of the 10 prints are numbered, and Supangkat has pointed
\nout the difference in the prints, particularly between numbers
\n3\/8 and 5\/8. Unlike common graphic art, it seems clear that this
\nwork was intended to be presented as an integral series.<\/p>\n
The series seems to convey a certain message regarding the
\nartist's perception about faith, and reading the series in its
\nappropriate order might prove to be rewarding.<\/p>",
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