Giving Indonesian art the respect it deserves

Giving Indonesian art the respect it deserves

Masterpieces of Contemporary Indonesian Painters
By Esmeralda and Marc Bollansee
Times Editions, Singapore, 1997
173 pages
Rp 223,000

UBUD, Bali (JP): Western observers and art connoisseurs are
often reluctant to accept the validity of other types of
modernism. Their approach to Indonesian art is no exception.

While the country's dance enraptures Western audiences, its
modern painting is usually relegated to third-class showrooms and
attracts little critical attention.

But there are reasons: Indonesia has no genuine art magazine,
and the few existing books on its painting are scholarly
publications that deal more with history than aesthetic
appreciation.

As for the books on painters, most are mere illustrated
biographies, and are not properly distributed. As a result,
Indonesian painting does not get the international attention it
deserves.

This may well be changing: A new book published by Times
Editions of Singapore, Masterpieces of Modern Contemporary
Indonesian Painters, written by Esmeralda and Marc Bollansee,
goes toward fulfilling our expectations.

This beautifully illustrated "coffee table" book presents us
50 masterpieces, from ten top Indonesian masters: Nyoman Erawan,
Made Wianta, Dede Eri Supria, Heri Dono, Umi Dachlan, Sunaryo,
Sudarisman, Nyoman Gunarsa, Chusin Setiadikara and Srihadi
Soedarsono. All belong to the post-70 generation, except Srihadi
Soedarsono.

The book is a "collectors book". It explains and elaborates
why the Bollansees love the pieces they selected, each of which
was reviewed at length with the help of the artists. This was
achieved through in depth discussions with the painters.

"Visual empathy", as opposed to objectivity, was therefore
paramount in the make up of the book. When reading it, one is
sometimes reminded of the meeting of souls that can exist between
artists and their merchants/collectors, like Vollard and Durand-
Ruel. To further accentuate this intimacy, a beautiful photograph
by Pierre Poretti introduces each artist.

The authors reveal that they based their selection on five
standards, decreasing in order of importance: creativity,
authenticity, aesthetics, technical quality and thematic content.

Creativity is put first -- which certainly comes as a
challenge to Indonesians who tend to be shackled by "tradition".

Limits

Esmeralda and Marc Bollansee are well aware of the limits of
their endeavor. They chose works, rather than artists, and thus
have overlooked painters who may otherwise have been among their
first selection.

However, several reproductions of these artists' works are
found in the introductory section. One finds there Agung
Kurniawan, Widayat, Made Djirna, Nunung, Bagong Kussudiardjo,
A.D. Pirous, Ivan Sagito, Djoko Pekik, Sukamto Dwi Susanto and
Agus Suwage. Kurniawan, with two works selected, is particularly
impressive. "He will be among the very top artists in a few
years, says Marc Bollansee".

There is also recognition of the fact that the Indonesians,
having inherited the whole story of Western modernism almost all
at once, can be equally at ease with all genres and styles in a
post-modern way. Such an open attitude ought to be followed by
others, in particular national collectors still reluctant to
accept the legitimacy of non-figurative art.

In line with their eclectic approach, the two writers list
what they view as the various styles of modern Indonesian
painting: Expressionistic Figurative Painting, Decorative and
Realistic Figurative Painting, Naove Figurative Painting, Islamic
Painting, Abstract Painting, Hyperrealism and Surrealism. One
might object to the range of some of these denominations.

Expressionistic Figurative Painting is too broad a definition
for a single style, and should be further defined: Srihadi finds
himself in company with Kurniawan and Heri Dono, not to mention
Affandi!! The name "Islamic Painting" is also unnecessarily
narrow. It connotes religious content or spirit rather than
"style proper". In spite of this objections, the overall
classification is a useful instrument.

What do the authors perceive as the strong points of modern
Indonesian painting? Judged from the samples, it is the rich
symbolic imagery and pervading symbolic meaning, which originates
from the great cultural variety of the country. Technique comes
in second: three painters of the selection are "realist" masters,
and all have a tight control of the brush.

Among the artists, the two authors admire most those who
combine their Indonesian heritage with contemporary concerns, and
Heri Dono seems to come on top of the lot. Not only is he
contemporary in style and Indonesian/Javanese in spirit, themes
and content, but he is also responsive to the problems of the
day. Erawan and Wianta, who are both abstract painters, are also
highly praised for combining Indonesian and contemporary
identity, but in a different way: while Erawan displays an
uncanny ability to integrate Balinese symbolic elements within
abstract compositions, Wianta pushes abstraction to new limits by
digging ever deeper into Balinese conceptual structures.

The contemporary idiom of these three painters makes them the
best armed to face international competition. Another artist
should perhaps be considered: Dede Supria, who is the only one to
confront modernity in his themes, not unlike some contemporary
hyperrealist artists of America and Europe.

There is however a paradox to the Bollansees' evaluation:
while they admire the strong sense of cultural identity of
Indonesian artists, they see at the same time this as a weakness.
We read: " By attempting to establish their identity first as
Indonesians, the artists have remained confined to the fixed
vocabulary of their culture with the result that they are not
always fully conversant with the (..) opportunities offered by
other cultures... This handicap is to be removed if Indonesian
painters are to attain international stature".

To further his point, Marc Bollansee, interviewed by the
writer, establishes a comparison with American Art: "The
Americans," he says, "have demonstrated that one can create out
of nothing.

If Indonesians could manage to do it, their art would
certainly be more interesting." But isn't Bollansee asking the
impossible? American Art is not only history-less, it is
essentially "brainy", while Indonesian art has a long heritage
and is both intuitive and symbolic -- the very source of its
richness.

However, there may be a grain of truth in Marc's comment. When
Indonesian painters are able both to "feel" and at the same time
distance themselves from their tradition -- to appreciate other
traditions and thus better know their own --, their art shall
certainly reach new heights.

However, if Indonesians are pushed to reach out to the world,
one should also demand from the Western art world that it
acknowledge not only the existence, but also the legitimacy and
the quality, of Indonesian modernism. This book goes a long way
toward it.

-- Jean Couteau