Book Nook: Half a Century of Indonesian Printmaking
Book Nook: Half a Century of Indonesian Printmaking
Setengah Abad Seni Grafis Indonesia, Half a Century of
Indonesian Printmaking; Jointly published by KPG (Kepustakaan
Populer Gramedia) and Bentara Budaya Jakarta; 187 pp; Rp
175,000
JAKARTA (JP): Despite its 50 years of existence, Indonesian
graphic arts or printmaking continues to bear a grievous stigma
as a marginalized art form in the local fine arts world.
Compared to drawing, painting and sculpture, graphic arts is
relatively young, emerging from the works of pioneering artists
like Mochtar Apin from Bandung, West Java, and Baharoedin M.S.
from Jakarta in 1946, a year after the country's independence.
Efforts to elevate the "status" of graphic arts in the
country's art scene have continually been made by artists,
lecturers and art critics.
One significant attempt has been made by Bentara Budaya
Jakarta in holding a comprehensive exhibition to commemorate 50
years of graphic arts in the country. It is meant to portray the
journey of graphic arts, evidenced through the works of
pioneering artists and those of their counterparts today.
This bilingual work (the English section was translated by
staff of The Jakarta Post) has been published in conjunction with
the exhibition to provide art lovers, students and others with
the background history, development and contributions to
Indonesian fine arts.
Written by curators of Bentara Budaya Jakarta, the two
articles Our Debt to Apin, Baharoedin and Suromo and Half a
Century of Indonesian Print Art: No Need to Print in Blood are
clear and informative. Yet, to make it a good and readable book
on graphic arts for its primary readers -- art students and
ardent art lovers -- the work needs a lot more information on the
art of printmaking.
The editor could have invited other art experts and writers to
contribute their knowledge and analytical thoughts on the subject
to enrich the book's content. Otherwise, the book only serves as
an accompanying catalog for an art exhibition. (raw)