Exhibition traces the course of Indonesian art

Exhibition traces the course of Indonesian art

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor/Jakarta

Some collectors buy paintings because they are also art dealers.

But the acquisitions of the Kompas/Gramedia Group were motivated entirely by empathy.

The exhibition titled Perjalanan Seni Lukis Indonesia (The course of Indonesian painting), which runs until Aug. 14 at the Bentara Budaya, consists of paintings that mark specific periods in the development of Indonesian art.

The exhibition is divided into three periods: 1940-1960, 1960- 1980, 1980-2000, with a special section devoted to Bali.

Although the exhibition does not cover all of the 570 works made by 377 painters, it is uniquely representative of the modes and trends the emerged in these periods. There is the Mooi Indie (Beautiful Indies) period, a mode of romantic landscape painting, and its nemesis, PERSAGI, the nationalist Association of Indonesian Painters, which sought to develop a new, nationalistic style with Soedjojono as its fiercest proponent, and Affandi and Hendra Gunawan who followed with Pelukis Rakyat Indonesia (Painters of the Indonesian People).

There is also the Seni Indonesia Baru (New Indonesian Art), with Dede Eri Supria, who came up with a new kind of urban realism.

But Mochtar and Sadali of the Bandung group, Widayat and Bagong Kussudiardjo, Abas Alibasyah of the decorative mode. Among the "younger" painters, some who have merited a name: Lucia Hartini who created a surrealist mode of her own, S.Teddy, Nasirun, Acep Zamzam Noor, I Made sukadana, Ugo Untoro, Melodia, Entang Wiharso, Yuswantoro Adi, Erica Hestu Wahyuni, Wara Anindyah, Edi haRa, Putu Sutawijaya, Bambang Pramudianto, Budi Ubrux, and a lot more.

Remarkably, there are only a few drawings, one of which is the expressive charcoal Perempuan dari Peliaten, by Barli Sasmitawinata (born 1921), who celebrated his 83rd birthday in March this year.

A separate section is dedicated to Bali, as art there developed in its own way. There are works by Anak Agung Gde Sobrat, I Gusti Ketut Kobot, I Wayan Djudjul, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, members of the Pita Maha (Strong Determination) movement, which the German Walter Spies and Dutchman Rudolf Bonnet founded under the patronage of Cokorda Gede Agung Sukawati in the 1930s, causing a shake-up in the traditional way of painting.

They became known for their representative art, which included secular themes, and light, drawn lines, and the advances they made in anatomy and perspective. But there are also painters who worked in the classical Kemasan style, like Mangku Mura and Ni Made Suciarmi -- the oldest (born in 1932) and probably the female painter in this style.

Other painters include Anak Agung Gede Meregeg Dewa Putu Bedil, Ida Bagus Made Poleng, I Gusti Made Baret, Ketut Regeg, I Gusti Made Togog, and many more.

The Kompas/Gramedia Group collection began when the late P.K. Ojong, who founded the Kompas daily in 1967, came back from the U.S. He was impressed with the art that hung on the walls of The Readers Digest building.

In the 1970s, he decided to set aside a certain percentage of the company's profits for acquiring Indonesian art works. The first painting to be acquired was Vas Bunga by Popo Iskandar (1967). In 1974, the Gramedia Art Gallery was established in the Gramedia bookshop on Jl. Pintu Air in Pasar Baru. This was devoted to showcasing Balinese art works. Then followed an exhibition space at Jl. Palatehan for modern Indonesian art. When Ojong passed away in 1980, his successor Jacob Oetama, who is also a cofounder of the newspaper, continued to develop the idea.

In 1982, the Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta was established and in 1986 the construction of the Bentara Budaya in Jakarta was completed. Another is being built in Bali.

The exhibition is worth a visit. Not only is this a rare opportunity to see paintings we have only heard of -- but never seen -- it is also a unique chance to view the paintings that bear witness to the course of Indonesian painting over the years, all in one exhibition!

The exhibition comes with a catalog in which the trends and modes are extensively discussed by knowledgeable writers. The 280-page hardcover book costs Rp 200,000, with a 20 percent discount on offer during the exhibition.

Perjalanan Seni Lukis Indonesia (The Course of Indonesia Painting), Koleksi Bentara Budaya, until Aug. 14, 2004