Bali: A source of inspiration for Dutch-born artist Arie Smit

Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): Dutch-born artist Arie Smit ranks today among Indonesia's most senior artists, and his works are also highly sought after by art collectors in the region. His paintings have been described as "Poems of Color". Many of his paintings of Bali are indeed celebrations, in color, of the artist's joy of life.

Several books have been published on the artist, including Garret Kam's Poetic Realism: The Art of Arie Smit (Neka Museum and Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1990), Agus Dermawan T.'s Puisi Warna Arie Smit (Yayasan Seni Rupa AIA, 1993), Suteja Neka and Sudarmadji's Arie Smit (Koes Art Books, 1995), and Putu Wirata's Arie Smit Memburu Cahaya Bali (Museum Neka, 1996).

Ironically, the renowned artist arrived in Indonesia in 1938 on military contract assigned to the Topographical Service. Following the Japanese occupation in 1942, as a prisoner of war, he was taken into forced labor camps in Singapore, Thailand, and Burma.

After the Dutch finally acknowledged Indonesia's sovereignty in 1949, Arie Smit chose to remain in the country and became an Indonesian citizen as early as 1951. He taught graphics at the Institut Teknologi Bandung before finally moving to Bali in 1956.

In the 1960s, he was influential in developing the art of the Young Artists of Penestanan. Today, his name is closely associated with the island, especially in art circles in Indonesia.

Born in 1916, Arie Smit celebrated his 85th birthday last week. Although his age has undeniably affected his health, the painter still stands tall with a sharp mind and an amazingly strong memory. He maintains a powerful hand with which he can still produce strong brushstrokes. Even now, he continues to paint passionately. Recently, this writer interviewed the artist via facsimile.

Question: Pak Arie, considering that you did not come to Indonesia as an artist, when you first arrived in Indonesia did you have any intention to become a painter?

Answer: Since I was young, I have always been interested in the visual arts, from illustrations to paintings. However, I did not want to admit my wishes to become a painter to family or friends; secretly I was awaiting a "shock". That shock came when I became a civilian in Bandung and saw the splendor of Pasundan.

Tell me more about this "shock", what were the preliminaries?

The outside world helped me become a lithographer at the Topographical Service, and I got my first job as a draftsperson handling layout with A.C. Nix publishers in Bandung. There I worked as a graphics instructor at the Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). I led a group of foreigners (Kunstkring/ "Art Circle" Bandung) to paint at my house, and henceforth became known as a painter.

A good working relationship with the instructors and students at ITB certainly helped. At the time of the Asia-Africa Conference in 1955, I had already held three solo exhibitions (at the Kolff in Jakarta, the BPM in Plaju, Palembang, and in Bandung. Alongside painting I always had a part-time job to earn a living.

Only in 1956, when I decided to go to Bali (invited by Bonnet and James Pandy) did I become a full-time painter. Prior to that, the social and economic circumstances were just not conducive, not even in Bandung -- it was a time of great social change.

What triggered your decision?

Living in Bali, I developed an understanding about rural life, especially community-life and the culture of Bali offered a deep source of inspiration.

You have painted landscapes, hills, flowers and temples. What is actually your favorite subject? Is there a specific place that you love in Indonesia?

I have lived in many places in Java and Bali. All had a certain accent on my work. Coastal areas and the hills are most inspirational. I study the skies and the way they merge with the horizon.

One of the most interesting events in your life was your interaction with the Young Artists of Penestanan. How would you describe this interaction?

Young artists (in the 1960s ) was an experiment in children's art, using their own environment as themes and using pure color as I did myself. After the 1960s, Bali became a hotel and tourist island. The art of the young artists was mostly bought by foreigners and much by foreign embassies in Jakarta. There were no better expression of rural life in Bali, peasant life than the young artists' paintings. Visitors loved them. The first Bali Beach Hotel, Sanur, had a painting by them in every room. These paintings were genuine, colorful, and not commercial. The years from 1960 until 1980 were the best. Great visitors to Bali, such as the famous science visionary Buckminster Fuller and renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead made collections of their work.

What are you thoughts about the works of the young artists today?

Naive art does not develop. It is static and the young artists are no exception. Compare this with what has happened in Haiti, also Slavia.

Your works have often been described as "Poems of Color". How do you see your own work?

One gets poetic feelings when the situation is quiet and intimate, when one has time to reflect, to be pensive. A sunset or music can help this overall feeling of peace, satisfaction, even happiness. I try to portray something of this complicated "atmosphere" as the subject matter of my paintings, be it small or big. The movement is in the brushstroke; the landscapes are still.