'Picture seller' succeeds on his own quirky merits

By Chandra Johan

JAKARTA (JP): No euphemisms or subtle dancing around the truth are present when Irawan Karseno bluntly describes himself as a "picture seller".

"It's a fact that I make pictures and earn my living by selling pictures," he said.

Irawan's blunt admittance is an exception among artists, most of whom refuse to delve into "distasteful" discussions of the business of their art.

Irawan's stance immediately invites a flood of questions. Are his simply the mass production pieces of idealized landscapes and stylized portraits which decorate homes of ladies who lunch? Are they shoddy carbon copies of artworks which sell for lofty prices in tourist resorts?

The answer, it turns out, is a resounding no.

In a solo exhibition of 40 of his works at the Executive Club of Hilton Hotel in Jakarta, the themes do not fit neatly into mainstream trendy and salable paintings. Look hard but viewers won't find winsome Balinese dancers, still lifes of flowers or abstract formalism.

The juxtaposed and conflicting themes are apparent in Gara- gara Ibu Hawa pengen Buah I (Because Mother Eve Wanted Fruit I), Gara-gara Ibu Hawa pengen Buah II (Because Mother Eve Wanted Fruit II) or Busang. These three appear banal, their subjects seem to collide against each other and there appears to be no clear context in their relationship.

In Gara-gara Ibu Hawa pengen Buah I, there is a bare-breasted human couple, a palm tree, a snake, fruits, a bull-headed human figure, scribbles, graffiti and sketches of direction symbols.

The main subject, the human couple, which apparently represents Adam and Eve, is distorted. The disjointed depiction is polished with a rainbow of red, yellow and blue that mixes unevenly. On the left and right sides of the main subject are the palm tree and snake, which look like little children's pictures. In the lower part of the picture lies the naked red bull-headed human figure, with DE-MO-KRA-SI scrawled on the body.

Associations with contemporary political issues are not difficult to make. The bull's head is the symbol of the Indonesian Democratic Party, which has been splintered by internal disputes. As the painting's title says, all this is because Mother Eve wanted "fruit", in whatever form this desire may take.

Irawan may best be described as a restless picture seller. He belongs to the class of painters who believe in the tension of emotion. The visual effects of his works often appear as unintentional and spontaneous -- quick renditions of lines, sketches or sprinkles. Also evident is the search for individual interpretations and revisions, such as use of a single torn carton hat to be placed anywhere in Gara-gara Ibu Hawa pengen Buah II.

This work at first seems to dip into banality. Decorative elements like flowers on batik cloth collide with defined figures filling the whole canvas. On the front of the painting appear three apples on two female bodies, while on the white surface we can see a snake side by side with the bodies. All elements in the picture look like collage, or pieces of carton gathered together.

"I like complexity in the same way as I like antagonisms," Irawan said.

Complexity and irregularity need development of sensibility. Most contemporary paintings threaten to undermine our sensibility in discerning the two qualities. Our emotions have been lulled into a state of complacency after viewing static, quiet, clean, sweet and harmonious paintings. Instead of breeding contempt, this familiarity with defined aesthetic realities has come to constitute a rigid consideration of beauty.

But in contemporary art tradition, beauty is not the main objective. The New Art Movement in the 1970s rejected concerns for beauty, and the Dada Movement in western Europe and America in the 1920s rejected conventional aesthetic concepts. Contemporary art tradition widening meanings and increased the opportunity to seek new meanings, including complexity and irregularity, in contrast to the Gestalt Law.

Understanding Irawan's works requires the shedding of conventional art theories, including adherence to examination of forms, rhythms and harmony.

There is always the risk inherent in rejecting the mainstream -- the recognition of an artist's work for its own individual merits instead of being dismissed as the ravings of one of society's disenfranchised.

Irawan knows his subjects and how to convey messages. Like he said, he is in business, selling paintings to many prestigious companies to decorate their offices. But he does not make distinctions between works he produces for exhibitions and those for commercial orders.

"People ordering my works generally have contemporary views," Irawan explains.

This picture seller has struck the ultimate balance in his art and life. Although he refuses to compromise his artistic principles, he succeeds in maneuvering within the corporate art world.