Work of distinguished artists on display<\/p>\n
By Aendra H. Medita<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Three artists Danarto, Sukamto and Ipe Mar'oef
\nexpressively depict objects, taken from not only daily life but
\nalso the shadow puppet world, through their works currently
\nexhibited at the Lontar Gallery which will end on Friday (Nov.17)<\/p>\n
While the daily objects that Ipe Mar'oef has drawn, show his
\nfirm lines and Danarto's forceful sweeps result in
\nextraordinarily strong lines, Sukamto shows greater emotion in
\nhis lines.<\/p>\n
This exhibition shows to the public what is interesting about
\nthe objects in their works and unravel the mysteries underlying
\nthe drawings in the exhibition.<\/p>\n
As the three fine artists differ in terms of character, space
\nand style, their works can be easily distinguished, or more
\nprecisely, the aura of each of them is reflected in their
\nrespective works. Another distinction of these three fine artists
\nis that their works have contributed significantly to the history
\nof Indonesia's fine arts. The three of them have intensely
\ninvolved themselves not only in fine arts but also in the arts in
\ngeneral.<\/p>\n
Ipe Ma'roef is a name to recall instantly when you talk about
\nIndonesia's realm of sketches. He has given his-all to arts. Born
\nIsmet Pasha Ma'roef on Nov.11, 1938 in Tepi Bandar Oto, Padang,
\nWest Sumatera, Ipe learned painting from Affandi, Surono and S.
\nSudjojono. He began to exhibit his works as far back as 1950. His
\nsketches have been published in a number of literary and cultural
\nmedia publications such as Zenith, Budaya and Budaya Jaya.<\/p>\n
In Ipe's works, each object reflects the aura of the lines he
\ndraws to visualize his mental image. In his hands, objects have
\nfound life. His lines are strongly drawn although his interrupted
\nlines may give the impression they have been made only
\nspontaneously. Take \"Semua Melihat Ke Atas (All Looking Upwards),
\nfor example. The drawing shows six figures and regardless of who
\nor what they depict, they are arranged within a shocking frame.<\/p>\n
In his two other works, Pengamen Mojokerto (Mojokerto Street
\nSinger) and \"Ayah Angkat Dali (Dali's Adoptive Father), Ipe is
\nrather different. These two drawings are almost similar because
\nthe two figures - the street singer and the adoptive father - are
\ndepicted as if they were siting. Ipe has successfully offered the
\nfirmly-made lines as sitting objects although chairs are not
\nexplicitly shown.<\/p>\n
The works of Danarto, born on June 27 1940, show a serious
\nstudy of the objects. Danarto, a 1961 graduate of the Indonesian
\nFine Arts Academy (ASRI) in Yogyakarta, is no longer at his
\nelementary stage. To him, a line is no longer an instrument, as
\nBambang Bujono writes in the catalog of the exhibition. He
\nconsiders lines as part of the fine art language. Therefore his
\nlines will flow freely in keeping with what Danarto himself
\nwishes to have. What is interesting about Danarto is that the
\nexpression of his love for lines constitutes a perfect totality.<\/p>\n
Take his work titled \"Wisangeni di Medan Laga (Wisangeni in a
\nBattle Field), for example. Here Danarto draws his object highly
\ndescriptively so that the details of the figure can be
\ngraphically brought out and line strokes illustrate the battle
\nscene in which Wisangeni is involved.<\/p>\n
As a painter, Danarto is capable of not only making use of
\nlines as his strength but also of creating nature in its charm
\nand beauty very carefully. In his two works, Sejoli di Tepi
\nTelaga (A Couple at a Lake Side) and Bulan ke Tujuh (Seventh
\nMonth), Danarto not only captures the atmosphere but also
\npresents his figures, charming an beautiful, in great similarity
\nto the figures from the shadow puppet world. Further to this,
\nDanarto shows in his drawings a high-level ability to essentially
\nexplore lines.0<\/p>\n
Sukamto is quite different from Ipe and Arief. Born in Solo on
\nMarch 13, 1945, he graduated from Surakarta Arts Academy in 1950.
\nNow he teaches at the Graphic Arts School of the Jakarta Arts
\nInstitute (IKJ). His generally highly expressive works appear
\nwithin his highly characteristic frames. In the present
\nexhibition, his works tend to be carried away by emotion.<\/p>\n
Studying the graphic arts in Rotterdam, the Netherlands
\nbetween 1977 and 1978, Sukamto has his preference for the objects
\nfound in the shadow puppet world. In his works called \"Abimanyu
\nRancap (Abimanyu Masturbates) and \"Batara Kala Lahir (Batara Kala
\nis Born), he resorts to more symbolism than in his other works.<\/p>\n
These works show his understanding of atmosphere and not the
\nessence of shapes. To lend visual prominence to the figure in his
\ndrawings, he makes use of dark polishing. He presents a central
\nobject in its detailed form without much embellishment so that in
\nBatara Kala Lahir, a woman figure is depicted as someone with
\nlong hair hanging loosely down to the shoulder. In his expressive
\nforce, his awareness is recorded so that the emerging expression
\nis but an overflow of emotion.<\/p>\n
Sukamto's other works are similar. They do not offer much
\nvariation but they reflect standard processing of the graphic
\nstyles in general.<\/p>\n
All in all, the works stressing atmosphere are now part of the
\nesthetics of the strength underlying the works of these
\nexperienced fine artists. This exhibition, therefore, may be
\nregarded as an event to invigorate the drawing realm because
\ndrawing is actually the most important part of Indonesia's fine
\nart history.<\/p>",
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