Glass painter Sulasno: A man of many talents
Glass painter Sulasno: A man of many talents
By Israr Ardiansyah
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Sulasno's physical features have not changed
much since he was a poor bricklayer. He is less than 160
centimeters tall, muscular, his long hair tied back. He loves
wearing colorful shirts and usually has a smile on his face.
The most noticeable physical change is the color of his skin.
When he was a bricklayer 15 years ago, his skin was dark from
working under the scorching sun. Now that he works indoors, his
skin is a bit fairer. Sulasno is now an artist. His works were
exhibited at the Natour Garuda Hotel here from July 3 to July 10.
"When I began painting, I never imagined I would hold a solo
exhibition like this," he said. "All I thought about was how I
could sell my work and get money. I started painting because I
knew I couldn't be a bricklayer forever."
Sulasno, a 46-year-old Yogyakarta-born elementary school
graduate, turned out to be right. He would not have become a
successful glass painter if he had not quit his old profession
and began painting in 1984.
Some 30 years ago, Sulasno joined a wayang orang (Javanese
opera) group. He used to play the role of an evil ogre because of
his stern face. And now he can support his family by selling his
work.
"I have been painting since childhood. I used to love drawing
landscapes and people," he says. "I polished this skill when I
made up my face before I performed on stage. I would be happy to
see that I could look different with the makeup."
Sulasno did not make up his face with modern cosmetics. He
used paint he bought in the hardware store. "I used charcoal to
make eyebrows and a mustache," he said.
It would take days to remove all of the paint from his face,
meaning he often worked as a bricklayer with fake eyebrows and a
mustache.
"It was very funny. The powerful ogre Gatutkaca (a flying
knight in the Javanese opera) at night became a construction
worker in the morning," he said, laughing.
In 1984, an art collector and dealer, Hendro, asked Sulasno to
do some paintings for him. "I saw Pak Hendro had a glass painting
he bought for Rp 300,000. I thought I could paint just as well so
why not give it a try."
Hendro sold Sulasno's first glass painting for Rp 40,000,
giving Sulasno Rp 15,000 of the money. The experience convinced
Sulasno that painting was his future.
"I began to realize that a piece of art could make me much
more money than the strenuous construction work or the stage."
So in 1984, he began to paint, using Express, a paint usually
used for bicycles
"At that time, I didn't have the courage to entirely quit my
job as a bricklayer, so I would occasionally take orders to fix
floor tiles or repair the sewage system," he said.
When his art gained popularity through his cooperation with
Hendro, Sulasno decided to dedicate all of his time to painting.
He quit his job as a construction worker, where he earned Rp
1,200 a day, and as a wayang wong actor, which earned him Rp 900
per night. (In 1984, the rupiah was Rp 925 to the US dollar).
Innocent man
Sulasno no longer touches cement, sand or bricks. Neither does
he use bike paint, but instead creates his work with high-quality
paint.
Sindhunata SJ, the chief editor of BASIS magazine who has been
assisting Sulasno organize exhibitions, describes Sulasno as a
"brilliant" artist.
"Painting on glass is very difficult. The object faces the
other direction. If the artist fails to finish it quickly, the
result is a mess. The work requires total concentration," he
says.
Although his name is widely recognized, Sulasno sells his work
at relatively low prices, ranging between Rp 250,000 (US$38) and
Rp 3 million.
A friend of his once joked, "What do you sell, paintings or
peanut." Sulasno replied, "I'm afraid my paintings won't sell if
they cost too much."
So Sulasno was dumbfounded when he saw his paintings displayed
at Natour Garuda Hotel with price tags ranging from between Rp 1
million and Rp 10 million.
Bambang Trisno, the owner of Kayon's Gallery, which sponsored
the exhibition, said Sulasno was a great self-taught artist.
"He has changed his style. In the beginning, his works were
all decorative but lately he has become an ultra-realist."
Putri China (Chinese Lady, 1991) and Nabi Sulaiman (Prophet
Solomon, 1993) differ in style from the later Yesus Menyembuhkan
Bartimeus (Jesus Heals Bartimeus) and his reproduction of
Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper.
When asked about the characters and symbols from different
religions in his work, he says, "I have been a Muslim since I was
born. I draw Jesus Christ because I get orders for that theme."
He insists that painting has nothing to do with one's
religious beliefs. "I will paint anything I feel like painting."
Sulasno, who concedes he was happy just to have his works
exhibited in a large hotel, is described by his friends as a
simple-minded man.
Painter Djoko Pekik describes him as an "innocent man". "I
think he was right when he (Sulasno) said his paintings were
offered at too high a price at the moment."
Bambang Trisno agreed that the works were a bit expensive
because they were Sulasno's early creations which had become the
property of collectors. "In fact the collectors said they would
rather not sell them."
Sulasno lives in his old home in the village of Golo,
Umbulharjo subdistrict, just south of Yogyakarta, with his wife
and their only child, Lanjar, 7.