An inspiring stream of watercolors

Pavan Kapoor, Contributor, Jakarta

The watercolor art scene of Indonesia has seen inspiring drizzles of fluid talent in the last decade, with sporadic tidal waves of master talent. One such drencher of intense aqua art is taking place at the Hotel Sofitel Gran Mahakam from Oct. 11 to Oct. 13.

Participating artists of the three-day exhibition, titled Innovations of Watercolor are Benny Setiawan and his four pupils -- Christina Leksono, Koh Seok Peng, Mimi Tadjuddin and Yulie Indra Setyohadi. Yuli is also the event organizers' chairperson. The exhibition was opened by B. Harianto A. Widjaja, director of the Circle of Latin America (CLA).

The exhibition's title was perhaps conceived because the medium of watercolor is expressed in an ingenious and innovative manner. While most watercolorists revel in the wild and heady swirl of the pigmented water, Benny and his protegees depict the looseness of the medium through countless shades of the color.

Benny teaches his pupils to capture and control the languid flow of the medium with numerous layers of the same color, bringing about a kind of mosaic effect.

He was himself a batik designer and his love of detail and intricate design is apparent in his artwork. His characteristic caricatures of women and other subjects are all woven into a tapestry of intricate design and fused colors.

In Woman and Bird (55cm x 75cm) the stick figure of a woman in a beautiful batik sarong holds in her hand a pigeon or dove. The birdcages and warung (stall) in the backdrop are just as intricate, but fade into the background by the subtle use of color.

In Child and Bird (55cm x 75cm), Benny partakes in the same versatile usage of vivid colors, with a labyrinthian explosion of color.

Christina Leksono initially studied painting under Ardha Prihandono and Jono Sugiartono before being taken under the wing of Benny Setiawan. The characteristic aspect of Christina's style is that of using the fluid motion of wet paint in a graceful pattern, before letting it finally dry.

Violet Roses (74cm x 28cm) shows a riot of English roses, their violet shades showing up against deeper violet shadows. It seems as if the whole canvas was drenched with generous amounts of water and painted in one go. Other pictures are A bunch of Gladioli (55cm x 37cm) and Fishes (74cm x 28cm).

Koh Seok Peng has graduate from the Chinese brush-painting school and has exhibited several times in Taiwan. Painting her favorite subject of still life, she displays her intriguing talent for conceptualization and design. Well-balanced artwork that draws the onlookers eye toward the focal point is vividly apparent.

Particularly enhancing are Loving Environment (75cm x 56cm) and Delicious (55cm x 36cm). Delicious depicts a batik stole hastily thrown down, one end draping over a wicker basket. The "delicious" objects are a few mangosteens. The dark background provides an effective relief for the juicy white flesh of the mangosteen fruit.

Mimi Tadjoedin processes a background in interior design as well as art. This love for interior design is also incorporated within her paintings, in which there are scenes of living rooms, bedrooms and well-decorated house corners. Using a flush of bright colors, Mimi is enamored by a bit of stark white in all her works.

In Bay Window (31cm x 41cm) it is the spoons and forks hanging on the wall. In Double Happiness it is the dried plants in a vase and the motif on the wall hanging behind. In Red Pillow (31cm x 41cm) Mimi displays a living room, looking as if all spruced-up for an expected guest.

Last but not he least, Yulie Setyohadi displays her art, which is strongly influenced by the mosaic style so typical of all her work. Sharing her teacher's love for intricate batik-style art, combined with her own love of interior design, Yulie displays corners and home spaces completed in vivid colors and designs.

Especially delightful is her layout in Between Pink Interior and Exterior (45cm x 45cm). A well-balanced living room opens out onto the beach -- complete with distant hills, beach umbrellas and blue water. The pink stands out on couches and cushions and outside on the umbrellas.

For a lover of the watercolor medium, be sure to be in for the novel treat that is promised by these aesthetic innovations.