Be invigorated by From Indonesia with Love

Be invigorated by From Indonesia with Love

By Pavan Kapoor

JAKARTA (JP): When Indonesian painters express their
fascination for their homeland through their paintings - the
thoroughbred Indonesian shows through. But when a painter who has
lived most of her formative years abroad and then returns to
paint her country, the "East meets West" flavor is invigorating
and intriguing.

Sasya Tranggono and her teacher of many years, Benny Setiawan,
are presenting their works in an exhibition entitled From
Indonesia with Love II at Dharmawangsa from Nov. 14 to Nov. 19.

"Being an artist came naturally to me," says Sasya. "I knew I
would do something positive in my life and after completing
studies in America, all I knew was that I wanted to paint and
spend my hours surrounded with books related to art, studying and
creating an art style."

Sasya finished her B.Sc. in engineering and then accomplished
an MBA in the Rotterdam School of Management in General
Management and Human Resource in 1991. The year 1992 saw her
studying mixed media and oil painting under Ben Stolk in The
Netherlands. Under Jose Moons and Hans Kemner she also studied
silk painting, gauche and finally in what was to become her
destined medium - watercolors.

Explaining the difference between From Indonesia With Love
exhibition which took place in 1998 and From Indonesia With Love
II, Sasya explains her desire to simplify and minimize her
paintings, creating a greater impact with just a few colors. As
they say, "a person of few words is more effective."

She concentrates on a limited number of bold colors, leaning
towards red and black which are symbolic of the chorus of
emotions involved in love and hate that each individual
experiences.

"The change in my style is a reflection of the process of
change and maturity in the direction of my own life," says Sasya
reflectively. The result of studying a broad spectrum of art from
America and Europe is evidenced in the balance and structure of
the still lifes which dominate Sasya's works. While most of the
paintings are eloquently Indonesian with ethnic artifacts, Sasya
includes intrinsically Asian subjects as well. For example the
statue head of Buddha, Chinese ceramics, clay horses, Bali masks,
Delft blue ceramics, batik cloth, and the ikat weave.

Combining the education in Western techniques and the use of
Asian subjects is perhaps what gives Sasya's watercolors that
perfect blend. The painting Love is a Beautiful Thing (70 x 113
cm) was painted in 1999. In it are an array of vases of varying
shapes with red and white lilies bending gracefully from their
mouths. Oblique light throws intriguing shadows over the vases
and some of the petals. The transparency of the glass vases and
white petals creates the feeling of introspective serenity.

No Pretensions (55 x 75 cm) is one of Sasya's bright
watercolors featuring a clay horse, a bunch of bananas and a stem
heavy with red lilies in full bloom. One notices the young
painter's fascination with batik in the intricate design of the
backdrop. The brick-red of the clay horse is balanced with the
red leaves and patterned batik on the right side of the painting.
The yellow green bananas synchronize with the green of the batik
pattern on the left.

The fascination with Indonesian artifacts and especially the
painting of batik cloth patterns is credited to Sasya's teacher
of many years, Benny Setiawan, who accompanies her with 25
paintings of his own. Benny was a designer of batik patterns on
cloth before he decided to shift to painting his mastery of
detail onto paper. Thus emerged a unique style that has made him
one of the most popular watercolorists in the Jakarta. Benny has
also exhibited in Malaysia and Thailand.

The use of bold color with gradations of hue is what keeps an
onlooker pondering in front of a painting for a little while
longer. The subtle changes in tint by increasing the amount of
water is known to every artist but actually creating scores of
colors so close in hue yet different is perhaps where Benny's
mastery of intricate detail lies. The blues change to turquoise
in a mosaic of painted lines each a fraction different than the
other.

In his painting Mercu Suar di Pulau (The Island Lighthouse -
55 x 37.5 cm), Benny presents a tall, bricked lighthouse with the
sea and sky in the background. Lush green vegetation at the base
of the lighthouse contrasts with the ochres and browns of the
beach behind. Then waves breaking upon waves roll onto the beach
in light transparent blues grading to darker blues in the depths.
In contrast to the delicious blues are ferries and trawlers in
blazes of white.

As in most of his paintings which include landscapes and still
lifes, Benny presents views of simplistic themes with a unique
detail in texture and depth created through his effective style
of color gradation.

Art lovers will truly enjoy this diverse collection of
beautiful watercolors painted by teacher and pupil. Joined by a
love of the medium and related through years of study, they
present two distinctive styles reflective of their individual
talents. From Indonesia With Love II should prove to be a truly
rewarding experience in the contemporary sense.