Batik and painting turn Ardiyanto's creative wheel

Batik and painting turn Ardiyanto's creative wheel

By Amir Sidharta

YOGYAKARTA (JP): First and foremost, Ardiyanto is known for
his batik. Iwan Tirta may still be the most famous batik designer
in Indonesia, but Ardiyanto's work is gaining world renown.
Hillary Clinton is among the dignitaries who have visited his
batik studio and boutique.

Ardiyanto has also been concentrating on painting, working so
creatively and productively that he has also become known as an
accomplished artist. Last November, his painting Space was
selected for the Tenth Jakarta Fine Art Biennial. The painting
was auctioned off at the end of the event. Today, Ardiyanto's
paintings adorn many public spaces in Jakarta and Yogyakarta.

Most of his paintings are significant departure from his batik
designs. Whereas his so-called modern batik designs are still
executed using primarily traditional canons, techniques and
processes, the artist is free to experiment in painting. His
batik and his painting complement each other.

After painstaking and meticulous work on batik according to
the conventions of the craft, Ardiyanto is able to channel his
expressive energy on to his canvases. It is a reciprocal
relationship; the freedom of his painting requires him to refocus
his energies into the strict discipline needed to complete his
batik.

His most recent paintings are composed mainly of abstract
images. Some may be titled Animal, Window with Flower, and
Flower in the Garden, which seem to suggest that the works are
depiction of objects or scenes, but it is clear the images go
beyond visual representation. They portray the artist's sense of
aesthetic which is manifested in forms, color, texture, and
composition.

Ardiyanto's interest in abstract art commenced as early as
1979 when he visited the National Gallery of Art in Washington,
D.C. Later, at an Antonio Tapies exhibition in Milan, Ardiyanto
made repeated visits to see the paintings because he did not
understand the works.

"There is a spiritual energy that draws me there, but I need
time to head there, to explore, and to reveal the essence of the
works," he says.

Ardiyanto feels he has much more freedom in painting. "I have
been ignorant, and faced many obstacles, weaknesses, and
mistakes. However, I later discovered new things, and finally
revealed new prospects."

Ardiyanto has never studied painting academically. Unbound by
classical academic canons, he often experiments in his works on
canvas and paper using the process that he applies in his
textiles. His background in mathematics and chemistry makes him
accustomed to expect calculated results, as well as to take risks
in chemical reactions.

"In the past, when I painted, and always tried to make my
paintings look like Miros or Picassos. In the past I drew motifs
in the style of those painters," Ardiyanto said. "Now I have left
that behind. I know now that behind those motifs there are
energies, there are lines and forms, there are entities, and
there are spirits that need to be processed."

He claims to be able to reveal a new sense of beauty when he
paints; it is a beauty which seems to come from within. "Whereas
before I start from batik to see and convey beauty, today I speak
of "inner" beauty. After concentrating in many arts, especially
painting, in each period I find new layers that I must reveal. I
need time to open them, to discover the essence within those
layers."

In several of his other paintings, he seems to have begun with
an image from nature. Actual tree branches seem to be his source
of inspiration in The Tree and Tree. The same is true in his
Flowers. Yet they are clearly only used as a starting point. The
final image in the painting becomes abstract compositions
reflecting his aesthetic sense.

"In painting I explore the depth of my artistic paradigm," he
says. Ardiyanto's experience in Ikebana, the Japanese art of
flower arrangement linked to Zen philosophies, has been
instrumental in his batik and painting.

"I try to manipulate minimal lines as a result of my struggle
to handle matters of my experience," he says of his painting.
"The minimalism for which I strive is my obsession towards
perfection that has not, and will never expire."

"I always believe in the term odd in numerical terms in the
theories of Zen in Ikebana. When there are two branches of
coconut trees, we always think about which one is taller and
which one is shorter. While on a composition with three coconut
branches that matter is no longer of concern, what is only the
matter. Therefore, I often place things in an odd total because
to me it seems more perfect and humanistic."

Dots

The techniques that Ardiyanto uses in his traditional batik
are still apparent in his paintings. "When I draw dots in
painting, it becomes the easiest work, as it is similar to
certain techniques in batik." Indeed, dots are often abundant in
his work, as can be seen in Square with Animal and Flowers.

Ardiyanto often draws on batik making canons for his painting.
"In painting I need to control myself so that I do not go too
far," he admits. "In the past I always stopped too late and got
too far."

In Flowers he almost went too far with his use of dots. "That
kind of canon does not happen in my process of batik, because
there are canons which have already become main conventions in my
batik studio."

Ardiyanto's painting has a pleasant visual quality that
clearly stems from the decorative aspects of his batik designs.
The forms in his paintings are arranged in a balanced composition
using harmonious colors. One of his most interesting paintings,
Three Mountains, seems to be derived from classical batik designs
from Cirebon, West Java, in motif and coloration. The motifs he
uses seem to be taken from the traditional forms of gunungan
(cosmic mountain) or wadasan (rock) motif, which are akin to the
rock grottoes of Taman Sunyaragi in Cirebon.

The red, blue, and white colors he uses seem to have come from
the color of the mega mendung motif of Cirebon batik. Although
reminiscent, Ardiyanto's work on canvas is certainly no imitation
of the traditional craft. Instead, he has taken his knowledge of
the craft and incorporated it into his own creation.

Whether in batik or painting, Ardiyanto's artistic development
has been warranted by his relentless effort to learn. His library
is crammed with books from which he absorbs knowledge of the
theories of art. His batik and painting studio becomes his
laboratory where he experiments and produces his new batik
designs and paintings.

He is active in seminars, discussions, and gatherings about
art. "One needs 10 years to achieve full depth in painting a
rectangle. It is clear that I have not become established. I
need to learn a lot, and the number of my teachers are still
increasing. Learning is what makes life so interesting."

Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa once stated the importance
of a continual desire to learn. When an artist as mature as
Ardiyanto is still keen to learn, then we can be sure of much
more from him in the future.