Lubis contributed new genre in decorative paintings

Lubis contributed new genre in decorative paintings

By Ipong Purnama Sidhi

JAKARTA (JP): Yogyakarta is certainly no Paris, but both
bustling cities share something in common: they are good places
for artists to start on the path to fame.

Yogyakarta is often likened to a kerosene lamp in a dark paddy
field which attracts insects from all over the place. At least
scores, but probably hundreds of artists have arrived here to
develop their careers in the ancient city.

This happens all the time. That is the reason why lots of
prominent artists whose names and role are written about in the
history of Indonesian art have their roots in Yogyakarta.

Paris boasts big names like Picasso, Miro, Dali, Chagall, Van
Gogh and Kandinsky. Yogyakarta has maestros such as Affandi,
Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan, Handrio, Widayat, Fadjar Sidik, Nyoman
Gunarsa, Aming Prayitno, Djoko Pekik, Lian Sahar and contemporary
artists such as Heri Dono, Eddie Hara and Ivan Sugito.

When the Indonesian capital was moved in 1946 from Jakarta to
Yogyakarta, the big names in painting also moved to Yogyakarta,
turning the city into a center of excellence in painting. The
artists went on to form groups and workshops where they could
exchange ideas to feed their creativity.

Painter Batara Lubis was one of the numerous artists who came
to Yogyakarta to build a career. He left his hometown of
Hutagodang, southern Tapanuli, North Sumatra, in 1953. In
Yogyakarta, he learned painting from Trubus S., who was known for
his fanatical academic approach. Lubis was unable to meet the
requirements set out by and was eventually dismissed by the
painter as "untalented".

Lubis did not give up and sought to learn from another
painter, Sudarso, who became his second guru. It was at Sudarso's
place that Lubis would often meet with Affandi and Hendra
Gunawan, the latter whom he considered his "third guru".

From that time onwards, Lubis considered that he was in the
right place to improve his painting skills. He could express his
aesthetic ideas freely and let loose his imagination. Between
1953 and 1986 Lubis created dozens of paintings. He died in 1986
at the age of 58 in Yogyakarta.

In a memorial show to the artist, works by Lubis will go on
display at Galeri Kembang in Jakarta from Nov. 20 through Nov.
30.

Under the tutelage of Trubus, Lubis had shown his skill in
catching the essence of an object. His oldest work on display --
Lanskap 1953 -- is a panorama in a hilly area painted in dusky
colors. From Trubus, Lubis learned to select the right colors to
picture foggy landscapes.

Critic Warso Wahono says that it was from Trubus that Lubis
learned how to make a particular green color as he applied in the
Topeng Batak (Batak Masks) series and Pasar Burung Yogya
(Yogyakarta Bird Market).

After tutoring Lubis for two years, Hendra Gunawan advised
Lubis to return to southern Tapanuli.

In the catalog of his exhibition held in 1983 at Bentara
Budaya in Yogyakarta Lubis noted: "I went back to my home village
to create new works. It is at these times in the village that I
realized how precious my gurus' lessons had been. I could then
use the (Batak) traditional motifs as a source of inspiration. I
could better use my artistic instinct to create artworks."

Armed with the skills he obtained in Yogyakarta, Lubis began
to observe and develop decorative patterns commonplace in his
hometown. You can see the result in Topeng Batak, 1985 which
shows his skill in designing and coloring traditional Batak
motifs.

The works on display at Galeri Kembang clearly demonstrate the
complete history of Lubis' career as a painter. They are also a
milestone of the decorative painting genre that developed in
Yogyakarta.

This new genre is Lubis' contribution to modern Indonesian art
history.