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.