Islamic pictures light up Ramadhan
Islamic pictures light up Ramadhan
Agus Maryono and Amin A. Abdurrahman, The Jakarta Post/Purwokerto
The fasting month of Ramadhan in Islam is often called Syahrul
Mubarak, a month of bountiful blessings, or one that is full of
virtue and gain.
Apart from its spiritual benefit in the form of multiple
rewards for righteous deeds by devout followers, Ramadhan also
generates financial gain.
In pecuniary terms, many people make a profit during Ramadhan
through selling foodstuffs, clothing and other articles, with an
upsurge in earnings being common. Likewise, transportation
services are all booked out in the run-up to the Idul Fitri post-
fasting holidays.
Picture-frame craftsmen are no exception. One of them is
Sumarso (40), a designer of frames for paintings, calligraphy,
religious pictures and antique photos. He hails from Teluk
subdistrict, South Purwokerto district, Banyumas regency, Central
Java.
He said his goods were selling well in the fasting month,
particularly paintings with religious themes and Arabic
calligraphy. "They also sell in other months, but business is not
as brisk as it is these days," Sumarso told The Jakarta Post.
In the first week of Ramadhan, "five pictures of the Ka'bah
(shrine in the Great Mosque in Mecca) as wall decorations were
sold, although they cost Rp 400,000 to Rp 500,000 each," he
continued.
The Ka'bah photos, depicting the building with crowds of haj
pilgrims praying around it, are set in frames measuring 1 meter
by 80 centimeters, complete with lamps to make them look like a
real nighttime view of the holy shrine.
"We only display and sell pictures in our showroom here, and
people come to buy or order them," he said, adding that if they
displayed frames on the sidewalk, serious buyers would regard
them as low-quality products.
"So we only do our business in this shop and knowledge about
our products spreads by word of mouth," added Sumarso, who says
he has been involved in the picture-framing business for about 10
years.
The lamp-equipped Ka'bah photo frames were originally designed
to meet an order from a customer who had just returned from the
haj. "He wanted the picture to appear more like the actual
evening scene," recalled Sumarso.
After making fruitless visits to galleries to find the type of
pictures his customer wished to have, Sumarso began a process of
creative exploration until the idea of placing neon lights behind
the color prints struck him.
"A special technique is, of course, required to make the neon
rays focus on certain parts of the structure, such as the mosque
dome and the lamps around the Ka'bah, so that the sight looks
exactly as it does in real life," he said.
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His customer was very satisfied with the work and spread the word
to many other people, who later visited his studio. "Some of them
ordered novelties while others looked at a number of Ka'bah
pictures before finally buying them," recounted Sumarso.
With demand rising in the Muslim holy month, "we have had to
work hard and have hired five more workers. It's important to
have the pictures ready before Idul Fitri, as ordered," he
stressed.
A complete set took at least three days to finish. "The most
time-consuming stage is the lamp arrangement, followed by the frame-
making. Some buyers want gorgeous frames while other are
satisfied with modest ones. It's a matter of price," he said.
By the middle of Ramadhan, around 10 of Sumarso's Ka'bah photo
sets had been sold. "Though they are just pictures in frames,
with proper lighting behind them they look real," he concluded.