'Clay painting' inventor still strunggles

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post,Makassar

Zainal Beta never really dreamed that he would someday earn a reputation as an inventor.

His artwork, mostly clay paintings, which he conceived by accident, have drawn special attention from noted artists, including the late Affandi, one of the country's great painting masters and the late Sutan Takdir Alisyahbana, a literary luminary. Indeed, Beta has admired his fellow countrymen and art pioneers since he was a young child.

Enal, as Beta is fondly called, utilizes materials and instruments that few others use. Instead of the usual paints and brushes, he uses clay, which he applies on the canvas with his own hands with the help of a thin bamboo strip.

In this way, his "clay paintings" have been viewed as a breakthrough in the country's world of art.

Art collectors from home and abroad (such as Germany, the United States, Australia, the Netherlands and Japan) are fascinated by the uniqueness of his paintings. He earns kudos almost every time he exhibits.

Enal also amazes people with his speed. Usually, he spends just 15 minutes or 20 minutes producing a painting. He takes longer on human faces.

"It is the clay processing that takes the time. I need up to three months because I use the fine part of the clay. Painting itself takes only a few minutes," said Enal, who was born in Makassar on April 9, 1960.

To date, Enal has made about 1,000 clay paintings. Some of the paintings are made on drawing paper. Canvases were not used much in Makassar until the early 1990s.

He generally uses social issues as his main theme, for example the communal lives of fishermen and farmers. He said he also was fond of painting phinisi boats (traditional South Sulawesi boat) sailing through high waves to express his spiritual dynamism.

Enal keeps on exploring ways to ensure that his work will be of a better quality and long-lasting.

He studies the structure of the soil he collects from various parts of South Sulawesi and comes to the conclusion that not all soil types are good for the clay in his paintings. He has also discovered 12 soil/clay colors. Only four, however, are often used: yellow (from Maros regency), black (from Jeneponto), red (from Majene) and gray (from Gowa).

Amanda, a Dutch art researcher who once did a research project on various paintings made with different media in Makassar said that Enal's paintings were much better in quality because the color would not fade over time.

Enal discovered his painting method accidentally.

"It was in 1980. A painting exhibition was held in South Sulawesi, featuring the work of a lot of the artists from this province. That's why we had to produce our best stuff. I was looking for an idea to be able to produce something unique," he recalled.

On his way home from the workshop where he was learning how to paint, somewhere in Ujung Pandang Fort (formerly called Fort Rotterdam), his drawing paper fell on to the muddy road. When he picked it up, something unusual struck him.

"I threw the paper into the mud again and then I picked it up. I found certain motifs that looked like a house, a boat and an animal."

The muddy paper accident inspired him to make paintings from clay. Upon arriving home, he tried using some clay to create a picture. The result energized him.

Now, even S. Sinansari Ecip, then the curator of the exhibition, dubbed his clay painting South Sulawesi's "hidden pearl".

Since them, his pieces have been compared favorably to some of the top artists in this country by art buffs and art observers. Enal, a father of three, is now called the inventor of clay painting. Since then, he has decided to use clay for all his paintings.

His father, a war veteran, did not agree with his ambition to become a painter. He wanted Enal to be a civil servant. Although nobody in the family was an artist, Enal defiantly made up his mind to become one.

It was back in 1977 that he learned painting at an art workshop at Ujung Pandang Fort under the guidance of Bahtiar Hafid, a noted local painter.

Confident of his talent and potential as a painter, he defied his parents opposition. He continued painting, but he had to hide his early creations under his mattress at home so his parents would not see what he had been up to.

In 1986, the South Sulawesi Association (KKSS) held an art exhibition at Ismail Marzuki Art Park in Jakarta. It became one of the most unforgettable moments for Enal. His perseverance had finally made his parents change their minds and they let their son choose his life path as a painter.

It was also during this exhibition that great artist Affandi, came especially to see him. Affandi expressed his admiration for Enal's work.

On that same occasion, the artists involved in the exhibition, such as Agung Mustika of Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) and sculptor GM Sudarta, now his advisor, officially declared Enal the inventor of clay painting.

In the same year, Enal, a member of the Association of Selebassi Artists, also met Alisyahbana at the 5th Indonesian Cultural and Literary Gathering. Alisyahbana also admired his paintings.

Still, Enal, the sixth of 12 siblings, feels awkward to be honored as the inventor of clay paintings. "It is hard for me to accept being called an inventor. As far as I know, inventors are called that only after they die," he said, smiling.

In mid 2003, his painting titled Nusantara Tragedy II was included in 65 major paintings for ASEAN Art Award 2003, a regional competition of two-dimensional fine art. The exhibition saw the participation of 1,198 artists from 49 cities in Southeast Asia.

Despite the label of clay painting inventor that he has received from artists, literary men and cultural activists, Enal is yet to patent his invention.

He has applied for a patent at the South Sulawesi office of the ministry of justice and human rights twice, but has not got the patent because they wanted some extra "fees".

"In 1990, they asked me to pay Rp 2 million (US$225). As I could not afford it, I canceled my patent application. Today, it must be much more expensive," he said.

Aside from his wish to get his invention patented, Enal also wishes to have a solo exhibition. All these years, his works have been exhibited in his gallery at Somba Opu Makassar Fort and in general exhibitions.

He may have talent and a good reputation, but still, Enal lives the modest life of a struggling Asian artist. The family's main source of income are his paintings, but it often can be sporadic.