Pictorialism, part of Indonesia's photographic history

Pictorialism, part of Indonesia's photographic history

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): Merely five years after its discovery by
Daguerre in 1839, photography was introduced to Indonesia by
Adolf Schaeffer, who was assigned to document archaeology in the
Netherlands Indies.

Since then, many photographers have worked in Indonesia.
Among the most famous was perhaps the firm founded by W.B.
Woodbury and John Page upon their arrival in Batavia (old
Jakarta) in 1856 and remained in business until the beginning of
the next century.

Other photographers included Van Kinsbergen, Kleingrothe, and
Kurkdjian. The only known Indonesian photographer during this
period was Kasian Ciphas. But even in the 20th century,
photography seemed to remain dominated by non-Indonesians,
including C.B. Nieuwenhuis, Thilly Weissenborn,
Tassilo Adam and other foreign names.

At least that is what we understand from the books on the
history of photography in Indonesia. The most comprehensive book
on this matter, Towards Independence, A Century of Indonesia
Photographed, leaves out the Indonesians, with the exception of
Ciphas.

Even Yudhi Soerjoatmodjo' article, Beyond Pictorialism,
Photography in Modern Indonesia, which is published in the book,
seems reluctant to mention any Indonesian other than Ciphas. To
Soerjoatmodjo, modern Indonesian photographers failed "to move
beyond formal documentary and pictorialism".

The books even fail to mention the brothers Mendur who
documented the proclamation of Indonesian Independence. Instead,
they glorify the images created by Henri Cartier-Bresson, co-
founder of the photography bureau Magnum.

Meanwhile, Indonesia also had photographers who were actually
Bresson's contemporaries. While Bresson was born in Chanteloupe,
France, in 1908, Ong Kian Bie was actually born a year earlier in
Malang, East Java.

At the age of 15, Ong was taught photography by two of his
uncles, both of whom were photographers. Later, he apprenticed
with one of the uncles who owned photo studios in Madiun and
Malang. When this uncle died, Ong took over his business and
started his own: Foto Studio Malang.

"My father," says daughter Ai Ling Tan-Ong, "always strives
for good service, high quality and punctuality. A golden rule of
the studio is that no negatives can be bought, a rule very common
in Europe, but unusual perhaps in Indonesia. The reason for this
rule is that my father wants to assure a client that his
photograph will be handled with care, printed carefully on paper
specially suited for the purpose and be given special
treatment."

To be sure, Ong was not as fortunate as Bresson in gaining an
international reputation. However, Ong Kian Bie's photographs did gain
national recognition, as they regularly appeared in the Dutch
language D'Orient and the Malay language Sin Po magazines
published in the Netherlands Indies before World War II.

Even though many were familiar with the images, not many
people knew of Ong Kian Bie, since his images merely included the
emblem "Studio Malang" without any mention of his own name.

The majority of Ong's works are the photographic counterpart
of what is known as Mooi Indik or Beautiful Indies in the realm
of painting. His images project the pictorial beauty of the
Indonesian natural landscape and its inhabitants. Admittedly,
like other Indonesian photographers, Ong's work can also be
considered not much more than merely formal documentary and
pictorialism.

In his article Beyond Pictorialism, Yudhi Soerjoatmodjo
accused the tukang potret (photographers) who were fluent in the
language of photography of ignoring the message in favor of
pictorialism and commercial acceptance." Dreams may have indeed
"turned to yellow dust in the images produced by the tukang
potret, while millennia of empires are remembered only in
beautiful and formal pictures", as he said in his conclusion.

However, perhaps the curator of the Antara Gallery of
Photography should accept the pictorialists such as Ong Kian Bie
as part of the history of Indonesian photography. In fact we
should ask why they have been excluded from that history so far.

The opening of the exhibit of Ong Kian Bie's works at the
Erasmus House last Thursday, was a reunion for many former
residents of Malang now living in Jakarta. Ong's photographs,
which were printed from their original negatives and presented
beautifully, primarily catered to their nostalgic longings for
the town in which they grew up. They also provided
younger descendants of Malang a means to learn about their roots.

At the very least, the photographs can be seen as documents
of history. Many would not hesitate to classify them as works of
art.

Some of Ong's photographs documented the urban development of
Malang since the 1920s. Maybe we should question if beyond the
pictorialism that Ong projected, there actually was a message
that he intended to convey. Perhaps this message could not be
conveyed through a single image, but rather can only be
comprehended through a series of photographs taken
throughout a progression of time.

Until recently, at least, Ong Kian Bie still printed his own
photographs. This shows his great dedication to photography. As a
result, his images did not turn yellow, much less into yellow
dust. During his recent visit to Europe, Ong met a group of
people who were at one time his baby models, most of whom now
have become grandparents themselves.

"They proudly showed him their own baby pictures taken in my
father's studio years and years ago. What was remarkable about
those pictures was that thanks to the good quality they were
still in good condition and looked clear and bright, as if
untouched by time," said Ai Ling Tan-Ong.

Today, at the age of 89, Ong Kian Bie is still very fit and
appears to be at least twenty years younger than his age. And,
like Bresson, he is still taking photographs. Two images from
Ong's recent trip to Europe appear in the exhibition. His love
and dedication to photography certainly deserves commendation.

Many would even agree that his name should be included in the
history of photography in Indonesia, even though the scholars
label him a mere pictorialist.