Kartika tireless in her painting at 70

Kartika tireless in her painting at 70

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Each person has their own way of expressing gratitude
to God.

Noted artist Kartika Affandi expresses it by
keeping in good spirits. She spends most
of her time painting, although in doing so she often
has to take one of her eight daughters and sons with
her as a personal aide due to her frailty.

Although she turns 70 in November, Kartika is an avid
traveler who constantly seeks new subjects to paint, often
abroad.

While other artists spend long hours in the studio, Kartika
paints from what she sees. Devoted to the interpretation of
nature or real life, she shows little interest in the imaginary.

Stashed in the back of her car, on any given day, is a blank
canvas, brushes and paints. These are her personal effects, the
things that she never leaves behind.

"Often, when she is traveling -- even though it might not be a
painting trip per se -- if she sees a subject that she is
interested in, she asks us to stop and set up her canvas,"
Kartika's third daughter, Luluk, told
The Jakarta Post recently.

Her assistant, usually one of her children, also needs to open
her paint tubes for her and squeeze out the paint, as Kartika's
hands are too weak to do so.

"We, relative youngsters, are often in awe when
accompanying her while she paints; she is always in high
spirits," Kartika's eldest daughter, Helfi Dirix, said.

Kartika takes only about four hours to finish a painting,
often with breaks, and paints with her left hand.

"She never spends the whole day on a painting," Luluk said.

Born in Jakarta on November 27, 1934, Kartika first
experienced painting at five years of age.

"I have enjoyed painting since I was small. Luckily, my
family gave me every opportunity to enjoy it," Kartika -- the
only daughter of the late maestro, Affandi,
and his first wife Maryati -- said.

Yet, she said, there was also a time when
pessimism overwhelmed her and she thought she would not make it
as a painter. She only became really engrossed
in painting in 1957, and became a full-time painter in
1970.

She has used various painting media, including watercolor,
oils, and acrylics, and even produced some lithographs.

"After I got married, I used to wonder whether a woman
was meant only to have babies, raise them, and take
care of the family.

"I wondered whether a woman could do something useful, other
than that. And I finally realized that painting was the answer,"
she said.

Kartika married for the first time in 1952, to the late Sapto
Hoedojo, also a noted artist. She has four
daughters and four sons from that marriage.

She got divorced in 1972, and was married again in 1985 to
an Austrian citizen, Gerhard Koberl, but the marriage
lasted just five years. She was divorced in 2000, and no children
were born of their union.

Kartika is now the grandmother of 19 and the great-grandmother
of five.

She classes herself as among those who believe that painters
should begin with realism: Abstraction or impressionism should
only be attempted after accurate representation is achieved in
their work.

Kartika, however, did not arrive at her present expressive
style in that way.

"My father used me as a guinea pig and
taught me his unique style. He squeezed the paint
right out of the tubes and worked it with his
fingers," she said.

She picked up other techniques while studying conservation and
restoration at the Fine Art Academy in Vienna, Austria, and later
at the International Center
of Preservation and Conservation of Cultural Property
in Rome, Italy.

The fact that Affandi and his daughter often painted side by
side would explain why Kartika's paintings resemble her father's
-- although S. Sudjojono, one of the
country's finest artists, was another mentor.

"I admit that my father had a tremendous influence on
my technique and style. You could say that I stood in
Affandi's shadow. But I've never stopped trying to get
out from under his shadow and find my own identity,"
said Kartika, adding that in 1973, she expelled color from her
palette and made black-and-white works only.

She said that, while it had been challenging, she had
succeeded in being herself artistically.

"If you study my works and those of my father, you will see
that his paintings are fierce, while mine are softer, more
feminine," Kartika said.

Kartika feels that painting is an emotional process, whereby
the artist's emotions permeate the subject as it is rendered on
canvas.

Self portraits and portraits of family members, landscapes,
paintings of animals and market scenes, even paintings of
strangers who make her feel something -- whether it be sorrow or
joy -- are among her works.

"Unless someone else arranges a celebration for me,
I don't celebrate my birthday. This
time, however, I am celebrating, but via an
exhibition (which starts on Oct. 28 at the National Gallery,
Jakarta).

"This year is special, because not
everyone is given the chance to reach 70. I thank God for this,"
Kartika said.

She said the only approach she takes to maintaining her
fitness is to get enough sleep.

"My physician tells me not to sleep for fewer
than eight hours a day, and that is what I do.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to paint," she said.