Painter Barli celebrates everyday life<\/p>\n
By Aendra H. Medita<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Traders. Dancers. Nostalgia for life remembered
\nin the village. Painter Barli Sasmitawinata has remained
\nconsistent in his choice of themes during his 66-year career.<\/p>\n
At the age of 80 (he became an octogenarian on March 21)
\nBarli, one of the country's most acclaimed artists, continues to
\npaint the images around him. Some of his works are now on show in
\nBarli, 80 Years, at Galeri Sriyanto in Pondok Indah, South
\nJakarta, until Aug. 7.<\/p>\n
His works are full of expressive realism, in which the strong
\nlines are not only full of esthetic qualities, but also play with
\ncolors (turquoise and other variants of purple predominate) on
\nthe canvas. Those he paints or draws in charcoal are not mere
\nobjects, to be seen and observed and scrutinized, but are
\ninvested with their own particular dignity, be they a vendor
\nselling a sweet treat to passersby or an elderly woman carrying a
\nsmall child.<\/p>\n
The son of a nobleman turned trader, Barli was brought up in
\nthe surroundings of a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in
\nBandung. He was accomplished in the Sundanese arts of his native
\nWest Java, including theater and music, but turned his attention
\nto painting at the age of 15. In his teens, he studied with the
\nDutch painter Jos Plumentz and Italian artist Luigi Bobili.<\/p>\n
During the Japanese occupation in World War II, he was
\nappointed to head the arts organization for Bandung. Later,
\nduring the struggle against the returning colonial forces, Barli
\njoined with Sudjana Kerton, Hendra Gunawan and others as war
\npainters. He was assigned by then Col. A.H. Nasution to design
\nthe emblem for the Siliwangi Military Command, which is still in
\nuse today.<\/p>\n
In 1948 he founded Jiva Mukti fine arts education with its
\nheadquarters at the Cultural Center Foundation Building; he also
\ncontinued his art education in Paris and Amsterdam during the
\n1950s.<\/p>\n
He also taught at Bandung Technical University, now the School
\nof Fine Arts at the Bandung Institute of Technology, but did not
\nstay long due to a difference of opinion with the school's
\ndirector, Ries Mulder. The latter believed that an understanding
\nof realism did not need to be included in formal teaching for
\nstudents, but Barli disagreed, considering it important for
\nartists to gain a complete understanding of that which they took
\nfor granted around them.<\/p>\n
The artist then went it alone in teaching, at his home-cum-
\nstudio Rangga Gempol. He continues to teach today, but now in the
\nlarger space of the Barli Museum on the road to Lembang in
\nBandung. He has taught such fine artists as Anton Huang, Popo
\nIskandar, Rudi Pranajaya and Chusin.<\/p>\n
Color<\/p>\n
Use of bright colors predominates in the works featured in the
\nexhibition, all of which are from the period 1998 to 2001. But
\nthe strength and power of the colors is balanced by the
\ndistinctive lines and shading of the artist, especially in his
\nblack-and-white charcoal drawings.<\/p>\n
This is evident in his works such as Menggendong Anak
\n(Carrying the Baby), Mengambil Air (Fetching Water) and
\nMenggendong Kendi (Carrying a Jug), delineated by firm lines, the
\nmark of a master artist.<\/p>\n
In his color paintings, including Bobotoh I and Bobotoh II of
\na man holding a fighting cock, Membatik (Batik Printing) and
\nseveral nude studies, the brilliance of the hues used are defined
\nprecisely by Barli's expert command of lines.<\/p>\n
What sets him apart from other artist is his exploration of
\nthemes and the making of the everyday take on a new meaning, seen
\nin Pengamen (Busker), Di Pasar (In the Market) and Tukang Cendol
\n(The Cendol Seller), among many others.<\/p>\n
Collectively, the works show that this painter's qualities
\nhave not diminished over the years or through a recent bout of
\nill health, but have strengthened with the maturity of his years.<\/p>\n
Galeri Sriyanto is open from 10 a.m. to 6 a.m. from Monday to
\nSaturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. It is located at Jl.
\nGedung Hijau Raya 36, Pondok Indah, South Jakarta.<\/p>",
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