Nashar's show must go on despite his death

JAKARTA(JP): The planning of a retrospective exhibition of the works of noted painter Nashar, which began in January, continues in the wake of his death at the age of 65 on Wednesday.

Mara Karma, chairman of the Fine Arts Committee of The Jakarta Arts Council, said yesterday that there will be further meetings of the committee before a final decision is made.

Nashar suggested in January that the show be held in October, to coincide with the date of his birth.

Sri Warso Wahono, painter, critic and former member of the art council, said last month that Nashar deserved sponsorship for the exhibition and an award for his untiring work as an artist and educator. "Nashar has shown the dedication of a true artist and provided a fine example to his students."

Mara Karma confirmed yesterday that the award to honor Nashar for his almost 50 years of dedication to art is being considered. "The committee will have to present all of this planning to the directors of the Jakarta Art Council for a final decision."

Nashar was born in Pariaman, West Sumatra, on October 3, 1928.

In 1944, he began studying painting in Jakarta at the age of 16 under Sudjojono and Affandi.

His study of art followed a clash with his businessman father, who refused to educate him beyond junior high school because he would not attend a merchant's training school.

Nashar married a Javanese woman, Sumarni, when he was in his early 30s. They had four children, all of whom are still living. They divorced in 1968.

Nashar, who taught painting at the Jakarta Art Institute from 1970 to 1972 and again between 1979 and 1991, was known among art circles for his radical "three nons" theory.

This approach to art is described extensively in Surat Surat Malam (Night Letters), which he published in 1976.

Nashar said the creative process should be "non-academic," meaning that preconceptions about art and how it should be created must be set aside, "non-esthetic," in that esthetic considerations should not be the priority, and "non-technical," in that intuition should guide in the creation of each work of art.

Nashar, who was essentially self-taught, said during one of his many exhibitions at the Taman Ismail Marzuki Art Center in the 1980s that, "The essence of what each individual is must be expanded upon. We must be free to follow the intuition born into us."

His life and his work reflected that stance. His dedication to painting led him into the financial insecurity that artists so often face. Nashar refused to follow popular trends in art, or to compromise on his "three nons" approach, which earned him immense respect among artists and well-versed collectors, but prevented his work from gaining a more lucrative popular following.

Over the years he moved from one rented home to another. When he could not afford the rent, he slept on a mat at the Balai Budaya art gallery in Central Jakarta. The rent for his most recent residence at Gang Salak No. 33, Jl. Dewi Sartika, in Cawang, East Jakarta, was paid through the sale of two paintings to wealthy businessman, Ciputra, who is an avid art collector.

Nashar, who served on the Jakarta Art Council for several years, died at his home at 3 a.m. Wednesday, after having requested release from the Mitra Keluarga Hospital on Tuesday evening.

He had suffered from bronchial asthma for several years. In the last few months of his life, he depended on an oxygen tank he kept at his home to deal with the chronic shortness of breath that was making it difficult for him to paint.

He was buried at the Karet public cemetery in South Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon after a prayer service attended by artists and students at the Jakarta Art Institute. (mag)