Papadimitriou: No short-cut in painting

Papadimitriou: No short-cut in painting

Lila Fitri Aly, Contributor, Jakarta

Unlike business in general, the sale of rare paintings by a
collector leaves behind a feeling of loss and sadness for having
to give up irreplaceable works of art.

This emotional bond is at least felt by Alex Papadimitriou,
77, who owns a private gallery in Menteng, Central Jakarta and is
perhaps the oldest surviving collector in the country.

"I feel sad and something is lost when I have to give up my
favorite pieces, but that's how business goes: Selling and
buying," admitted Papadimitriou, whose collection dates back to
the 1950s when he worked with the Indonesian embassy in Brazil.

Born in Palembang, South Sumatra, Papadimitriou had a German
grandfather, who worked as a geologist in the South Sumatran
capital and married a Japanese woman. Their daughter then married
a Greek man and the couple produced the multi-ethnic
Papadimitriou.

After spending 10 years in Germany from the age of four,
Papadimitriou lived in Indonesia from 1938 to 1946 and in Brazil
to serve the Indonesian embassy during the period of 1946-1958.
He has remained in the country since 1958.

When he was in charge of organizing the second biennial fine
arts exhibition in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1952, he began to make
friends with noted painter Affandi and other artists, before
finally being involved in the painting business as a collector.

Relying more on quality, Papadimitriou was scorned and seen as
a loony 50 years ago as he made his first selection of pictures,
which were then not so expensive. Later, when this business was
booming he was considered a smart entrepreneur, which he denied
because he claimed to have been motivated by his appreciation for
works of art like his father and grandfather.

Most of his collection comprises the works of senior artists
like Affandi, Hendra Gunawan and S. Sudjojono, which contain what
he described as some substance, though he declined to mention the
number so far held.

"Paintings without substance have no value, while this
substance is hard to define and explain. Only one's feelings can
tell," he said. Such serious pictures have strong force of
communication regardless of their techniques, which may vary from
one artist to another.

This quality, according to Papadimitriou, can be achieved
through a lot of practice, much like violinists or pianists. He
cited Mochtar Apin as an example, who paints daily from six to
eight in the morning. The older and more experienced a painter
is, the broader his or her horizons will be, like the late
Affandi.

Papadimitriou secured the works directly from the artists
instead of third parties in order to avoid fake pieces. Even if
he got it from others, they were recommended by the painters
themselves. He grouped collectors into lovers of the art and
seekers of a status symbol.

"Sadly, those who gather pictures as a status symbol are apt
to be deceived by profiteers for their lack of knowledge of
genuine products, and such deception takes place all over the
world," he pointed out.

As such phonies are usually duplicates of classic paintings
highly demanded on the market, Papadimitriou suggested that
collectors should make a lot of observation, reading and
discussion about this subject, plus relevant painting history.

"Painters have their typical characteristics and what they
produce are like different types of handwriting. Diamonds can be
chemically tested while masterpieces demand buyers to beware
fakes," he advised.

Papadimitriou, however, has collected none of the works of
younger painters apparently due to their different paradigm
resulting from the age gap. Only those 10 years younger or older
than him are tolerated, though he can appreciate the achievements
and prospects of some of the younger artists.

Yet, he expressed regret that some younger painters paid no
heed to quality when they get big orders, while actually they
should concentrate with their full spirit in order to produce
works that have communicative power.

Though some maestros can work fast like Affandi once
demonstrated, their concepts have settled down for two to three
months.

"In the painting world there is no short-cut, and the class of
such works are established by their own history, which may take
two to three decades," Papadimitriou added.