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