Kerton's images of historic Yogyakarta

Kerton's images of historic Yogyakarta

By Asip A. Hasani

YOGYAKARTA (JP): To have been able to witness the historic
events surrounding Indonesia's independence in the 1940s would
have undoubtedly been a privilege. The late artist Sudjana Kerton
was one of those lucky enough to be able to record some of the
events in his paintings and photographs.

He also created sketches of the ceremony marking the transfer
of power from the Dutch colonial administration to Indonesian
leaders. He also depicted Indonesian guerrillas and the life of
ordinary people.

His sketches dominate the ongoing exhibition of Kerton's works
in Yogyakarta. Titled "Revolution and Evolution of Sudjana
Kerton", the exhibition at the Vredeberg Fort complex opened on
July 26 and will run until Aug. 7.

Other works include watercolors, lithographs, woodcuts and
etchings. The display of 150 of his earliest and last works is
organized by his relatives. Kerton died in 1994 at the age of 72.

The exhibition has received an enthusiastic response from
Kerton's local admirers and art collectors. Many of his works,
especially the sketches, have never been exhibited.

Tjandra Kerton, a son of the famous artist, said his father
had hidden many of the works about the independence revolution
for 25 years. Between 1950 and 1976 the family lived in Europe
and the U.S..

"Only in 1991 did he open up all his old works to us," Tjandra
said. "It is the first time we have exhibited them."

Kerton used to work as the illustrator of Patriot, a newspaper
led by Usmar Ismail from 1944 to 1950. This explained why he the
independence revolution was his favorite theme. The subject was
common in the work of other artists of his generation, such as
Popo Iskandar or Srihadi.

His personal close relations with president Sukarno allowed
him to witness special events like the Round Table Agreement that
he recorded in his sketch Perjanjian Meja Bundar. Because of
limited equipment and facilities, Kerton mainly worked on
sketches until 1950.

His professional background as a newspaper illustrator
provided him with the skill to portray an event in a simple but
direct manner. In the Transfer of Power from the Dutch to
Indonesian series, the Indonesian soldiers stand up straight
while the Dutch appear tired.

Not all of Kerton's early works are about the revolution. They
also concern the daily life of ordinary people, a subject which
greatly inspired him throughout his life.

Ordinary people was a favorite theme in most of the images he
created after he lived in the U.S. and Europe. The attraction is
obvious in his later sketches, watercolors, woodcuts, lithographs
and etchings, as well as his later oils on canvas.

Kerton was the first Indonesian artist to win a Unicef award
for his woodcut titled Homeward.

Dwi Maryanto, a teacher at the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI)
in Yogyakarta said Kerton's constant return to the theme of
ordinary people's everyday life showed that the artist's
inspiration was not fueled by a fiery ideological spirit.

"Kerton portrayed the life of ordinary people with a great
sense of humor. He brilliantly illustrated how the people
survived," said Maryanto, who is curator of the exhibition.

The ongoing exhibition is an opportunity for the public to
compare Kerton's early, middle and later periods. The differences
are apparent in works completed when he was young in the 1940s,
when he honed his skills in the 1950s and 1960s and the latest
creations that made him famous, Maryanto said.

His superb figurative painting skills are evident in the
sketch series of 16 naked figures. His mastery improved while he
was in Amsterdam in 1950 and at the Art Students League, New
York, in 1951. In the U.S., he learned about sketching under
Yaseo Kunoyoshi and graphic art from Harry Sternberg and Will
Barnet.

The works on show also illustrate the history of Kerton's
painting career. It is possible to trace how the movements of
impressionism and post-impressionism influenced him.

"Kerton was a man who was courageous about experimenting with
different painting styles. When he was in France, he tried his
hand at impressionism and post-impressionism, although he later
abandoned them," Maryanto said.

Tjandra said the first exhibition of Kerton's works was held
in Yogyakarta rather than Bandung because Kerton had "special
emotional ties" with the former. The West Java capital is the
artist's hometown, where he founded Sanggar Budi Luhur studio
upon his return from the U.S. in 1976.

"He lived in Yogyakarta for several years when Indonesia had
its capital city moved from Jakarta to Yogyakarta in the 1940s,"
said Tjandra. "Yogyakarta had become an important source of
inspiration."