Pirous' artworks show how the medium is the message
Pirous' artworks show how the medium is the message
Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta
To celebrate his 70th birthday, Abdul Djalil Pirous, a painter
and fine arts teacher, is displaying his art works in a solo
exhibition titled Retrospektif II (In Retrospect II) at the
National Gallery from March 11 through to March 31.
Organized by Serambi Pirous in cooperation with the National
Gallery, the show is highlighted by the launching of A.D.Pirous:
Vision, Faith and A Journey in Indonesian Art, 1955-2002, a 267-
page monograph written jointly by Kenneth M. George, a professor
of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA and
author Mamannoor, a writer on fine arts.
As a professor at the School of Fine Arts and Design at
Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) with several awards from
Indonesia and abroad to his credit, Pirous is also a noted
calligraphic painter. He is one of the pioneers in the
development of Arab calligraphic paintings as a new genre in the
map of Indonesia's modern fine arts that now enjoy international
recognition.
His art works from 1955 (before he became an ITB student) to
2002, show a social religious spirit. He has explored the spirit
indefatigably using different techniques and styles.
What matters most in painting for Pirous, born in Meulaboh,
Aceh, is the message to convey to other people, not the
techniques or the styles, which painters of earlier generation
have focused on. A painter need only select the most appropriate
technique or style to express his ideas.
At first, Pirous presented figures naturalistically in his
paintings. In the 1960s, especially after the abortive coup
allegedly committed by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) on
Sept. 30, 1965, his paintings featured poor tramps emerging in
the transition from the Old Order to the New Order regime. He
also produced cubist and abstract paintings, including a painting
titled The Sun after September 1965.
In the 1970s, Pirous questioned himself: "As a painter from
Aceh, a Muslim and an intellectual, what should I do to help
solve the nation's problems?" His answer: alms and thought.
For that purpose, he turned to the verses of the Koran, which
contain advice, suggestions and teachings related to the
universe. Based on this concept, he introduced calligraphic
paintings that contain themes, among others, of children, life
and the fatherland.
Figures usually present in oil paintings or graphic design
paintings disappeared. He turned his attention from the lower
part to the upper part of the human body. Pirous's calligraphic
paintings have two salient features -- esthetics and spiritual
counsel.
In its later development, Pirous' calligraphy has shown its
own characteristics, quite different, for example, from those of
Amang Rahman, Syaiful Adnan, Amri Yahya and even his mentor,
Sadali.
The use of texture from fine marble powder blended with six
other substances, the color composition, the harmony, the choice
of verses and his meticulousness have brought forth modern
calligraphic paintings to the level of visual dzikir, or a visual
form of the worship of God. His works portray not only a
Godliness but also a humanity, the relationship between a human
being and God as well as between one person and another, and
between heaven and earth.
Take a close look at his works, starting from Malam (Nocturne,
1975), which is still simple, and on to trademark pieces such as
Ya Rabbi, Dengarlah Kami (Oh God, Please Listen to Us, 1991);
Surga Seluas Langit dan Bumi Bagi Yang Beriman KepadaNya (Heaven
is as Wide as the Sky and the Earth for Those Having Faith in
God, 2000); Nasib Suatu Kaum Terletak di Tangannya Sendiri (Men's
Destiny Lies in His Own Hands, 2001); Tamsil Perahu, Mengarungi
Kehidupan (A Parable on a Boat, Sailing Through Life, 2002) --
the latter is taken from a verse about a boat by Hamzah
Fanshuri's 16th century Tuhan, Kita Begitu Dekat (God, We are so
close, 2002), quoted from a poem by Abdul Hadi W.M. -- up to his
latest pieces like Hari-hari Manusia (Human Days); Tiada Yang
Dapat Memberi Pertolongan Kepadanya, Kecuali Amal Yang Saleh
(Nothing Can Help a Man But His Good Deeds, 2002), quoted from
the epitaph of Syech Mushlihuddin Sa'adi who lived between 1184
and 1292.
According to Mamannoor, the curator of Pirous' current
exhibition, there are two big themes in Pirous' art works, namely
calligraphy and non-calligraphy.
The theme of his calligraphic pieces contain three elements.
First, Pirous begins with the Koran's holy verses, the hadith
(Prophet Muhammad's sayings), verses, old tales and words of
wisdom. Second, he develops new realities by interpreting the
source texts to establish the integrity between content and
meaning. Third, he establishes a relationship between modern
Islamic calligraphy and painting or graphic art.
As for his non-calligraphic theme, it starts from his
encounters with real life such as inanimate objects, creatures
and events.
In this reform era, Pirous has produced a series of paintings
titled Hikayat Perang Sabil (Holy War Tales), the main strength
of his retrospective exhibit; in defense of his birthplace of
Aceh.
Figures missing for many years are back in several canvases of
various sizes. Headless bodies and even the figure of Teuku Umar
(an Acehnese hero) swishing his saber amid blood splashes on a
mosaic of Arabic verses.
With full admiration, Pirous created an art work entitled:
Once Upon a Time, There Was a Holy War in Aceh: A Tribute to
Courageous Hero Teuku Umar, 1885 to 1899. This painting was made
in 1998. It is also his art work that will welcome each person
entering the National Gallery. Not far from this painting, Pirous
presents an art work symbolizing the shackling of a holy war
book, and a rencong (Acehnese dagger) among stone artifacts and
mute old Acehnese verses. He has successfully conveyed the
message of the suffering and the hopes of the Acehnese. He has
done this with the same finesse with which he has put Acehnese
elements on canvas since the 1970s in the form of stones, ancient
gravestones, pandak mats and characteristic Acehnese colors.
With this series of Acehnese paintings, we would not be wrong
in saying that Pirous is a painter, a teacher and above all else
a fighter. The message and language of fine arts are his bullets.