Rastika, a stranger in his own land<\/p>\n
Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Rastika, a well-known name in glass painting from Cirebon, West
\nJava, is a stranger in his own land -- as far as his artwork is
\nconcerned.<\/p>\n
\"I get more recognition in Jakarta and abroad than I do in my
\nown hometown,\" said Rastika, 60, in a mixed tone of indictment,
\nsadness, annoyance and anger.<\/p>\n
Among art observers, Rastika, a widower with five children and
\nfive grandchildren, has reformed traditional themes in glass
\npaintings.<\/p>\n
A combination of rocks and clouds and that of a dragon, which
\nare quite often found in Cirebon's glass paintings, are also
\nevident in his creations. Rastika is capable of depicting
\nflexible and elegant forms in complicated, rich and beautiful
\ndetail.<\/p>\n
His colors give the impression of calmness, although sometimes
\nthey also suggest seething passion. The color harmony suggests
\nwestern nuances, which are obviously the outcome of his wide
\nacquaintanceship with fine art academics.<\/p>\n
Why is it that he has not been accorded a proper place in
\nCirebon?<\/p>\n
\"I don't know,\" he said. \"When government officials here hold
\nmeetings with local artists, I'm never invited,\" he said.<\/p>\n
His fourth son, Kusdono, 20, agreed. Confined to a wheelchair,
\nKusdono is being groomed as his father's successor.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Rastika has never been discouraged. He continues
\nhis painting, driven by his neighbors' demand for his artwork to
\nbe given as wedding gifts or used as house decorations. He also
\nreceives orders from collectors in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He lives and works at his studio in the Gegesik Kulon area of
\nCirebon.<\/p>\n
Rastika said his seven-meter-by-eight-meter studio was built
\nin 1987 as a gift from Martha Tilaar, the owner of the well-known
\ncosmetics company in Jakarta. It is also in this studio that he
\nis training Kusdono and four other village youngsters in glass
\npainting skills, Cirebon-style.<\/p>\n
He is also developing a Cirebon mask dance with his
\ngrandchildren as the dancers. He has been working hard lately to
\nraise Rp 6 million to renovate his studio.<\/p>\n
Rastika was an elementary school dropout. He had to leave
\nschool when he was in grade six. It was when he was in elementary
\nschool that he began to enjoy shadow puppet (wayang) shows and
\nalso began to draw shadow puppet figures with chalk on a piece of
\nslate. He later drew these figures on paper.<\/p>\n
In 1959, he improved his glass painting skills and techniques
\nafter observing how senior artists Soedarga and Sadji as well as
\npuppet master Maruna, who are all dead now, went about their
\nwork.<\/p>\n
\"I only watched how they worked and then copied their
\ntechniques at home. So I did not learn painting formally from
\nthem,\" said Rastika, who used to be a farmer.<\/p>\n
His name became well-known in Indonesia's fine arts circle in
\n1977 when Haryadi Suadi, a painter and teacher, introduced him at
\nan exhibition at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), where
\na lot of fine arts masters were attending, in addition to the
\nIndonesian Fine Arts Academy (ASRI) of Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Joop Ave, then the head of household affairs at the
\npresidential palace, paved the way for his exhibition at the
\nannual Jakarta Fair in Monas Park. Joop later invited him to the
\nState Palace to draw Pandawa Lima, the legendary five figures of
\nthe Pendawa kingdom in the Mahabarata epic.<\/p>\n
\"I'm pleased that my glass painting has been hung in the State
\nPalace,\" he said.<\/p>\n
From then on, he has held many more exhibitions with the
\nsponsorship of the public in Jakarta. There are dozens of
\nexhibitions to his credit, such as those at Museum Wayang, Ancol,
\nBentara Budaya Jakarta and Ismail Marzuki Park. An exhibition of
\nhis works is now under way at the Candrika Gallery of the
\nIndonesian Fine Arts Foundation with PT Fortune Adwicipta as the
\nsponsor.<\/p>\n
Every time he holds an exhibition, most of his works are
\nusually sold. The late Budiardjo, the former information
\nminister, was very fond of collecting Rastika's glass paintings.
\n\"He had about 250 glass paintings by me. They are kept in Pondok
\nTingal Magelang and Ciputat,\" he said.<\/p>\n
At present Rastika is exploring his latest theme: humor. In
\nthis way he can poke fun at the dangers of narcotics through the
\ndrunken Petruk, a royal servant with a Pinocchio-like nose in a
\nshadow puppet story, who has a voluptuous woman seated on his
\nlap. The humor continues his former theme of calligraphy and
\nfragments from shadow puppet stories originating in the Ramayana
\nepic and the Cirebon Chronicles.<\/p>\n
Rastika also paints on order. Once, for example, he painted
\nJesus and the Virgin Mary on glass after receiving an order from
\nRaymond Toruan, the editor-in-chief of The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
His most monumental work -- measuring 11 meters by 3 meters --
\nwas created in 1980 and called Indonesian Images, as it contained
\nthe theme of the Baratayuda war in the Mahabarata epic. It is on
\ndisplay at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.<\/p>\n
In 1985 and 1986 he made three glass paintings of three shadow
\npuppet stories on cloth, measuring 15 meters each, titled Alas
\nWana Marta Chronicle, the Cirebon Chronicles and Jaka Menyawak.
\nThese paintings are usually hung where there is a wedding party
\nor a ceremony marking a circumcision. Unfortunately, the three
\npaintings were bought by French, American and Dutch collectors,
\nrespectively, each paying Rp 1 million for his work.<\/p>\n
Recently Rastika has had reason to be upset. His paintings of
\nthe shadow puppet motifs have been copied. However, he has
\ndecided to continue painting rather than seek a legal solution to
\nthe infringement. He has chosen to devote himself to the Cirebon
\nglass painting school and follow the advice given once to him by
\nJoop Ave.<\/p>\n
\"I don't want to be like young artists creating so-called
\nabstract paintings,\" he said.<\/p>",
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