Rusli, a painter of principle

Rusli, a painter of principle

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Rusli's eyes shone brightly and were moist with great emotion
behind his glasses. As his trembling hands tightly gripped the
microphone, the old man clearly addressed the audience in a
halting voice from his wheelchair.

His booming voice and substance of his address captivated the
hundreds of guests present at the recent 53rd anniversary
ceremony of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

The 90-year-old Rusli is one of Indonesia's senior artists,
who, on Dec. 19, 2002, received the Hamengku Buwono IX Award from
Gadjah Mada University.

Rusli, who lives in Yogyakarta, is a famous artist, but few
know that he is also a war veteran who took part in the struggle
for Indonesia's independence.

After attending a Dutch elementary school in his birthplace of
Medan, North Sumatra, Rusli decided to migrate to Yogyakarta to
study and teach at Taman Siswa Educational Institution during the
Dutch colonial times. There he became a freedom fighter and also
a painter.

"I don't remember when I came to Yogyakarta. I don't even
remember my own birthday. But I know that I'm about 90 years
old," he said.

He recalled memorable moments when he and fellow freedom
fighters, buoyed by their youthful spirit, lowered the Japanese
flag and then hoisted Indonesia's national flag at the Gedung
Agung, now the presidential palace in Yogyakarta.

This flag lowering incident did not turn violent, because
Rusli and his colleagues were able to persuade Sultan Hamengku
Buwono IX to come over and talk with the Japanese officials.

"This incident is still fresh in my mind although I don't
remember the date any more. It must have been shortly after Japan
unconditionally surrendered to the Allied Forces in 1945," he
said.

Rusli continued to serve as a fighter up until the time when
efforts were still being made to maintain the hard-fought
independence of Indonesia. His commander during the guerrilla war
then was Lt. Col. Soeharto, who later became president of the
country for three decades.

"Soeharto gave me this house and museum as a token of his
appreciation for me, a former freedom fighter," he said.

Only his home is evidence of his former days as a freedom
fighter. He is reluctant to have any official documents proving
that he is a war veteran, and as a result, he does not receive
any pension as a war veteran. He cannot remember his last rank
during his military service.

After leaving the military, young Rusli devoted himself to
painting, and began to deeply explore semiabstract painting at a
school that was then gaining popularity. He began to develop his
own way of painting using watercolors, which is now his signature
style. His watercolor paintings have free, expressive patterns in
bright and cheerful colors.

Rusli is also known as the founder of the Indonesian Artist
Center (PTPI) along with other artists of his generation, such as
Affandi, Jayeng Asmara, Suyono and Hendra. They rented a simple
house to serve as their headquarters in Yogyakarta. This
institution later became a venue for young artists to come
together and work as well as a place where young people
interested in art could learn painting for free.

The center, set up during the Dutch colonial times, was taken
over by the Indonesian government in 1954 and turned into the
Indonesia Fine Arts Academy (ASRI), which was later renamed the
Indonesian Fine Arts Institute (ISI) of Yogyakarta.

Rusli, Affandi and his colleagues, however, did not want to be
affiliated with this new institution. Only Jayeng Asmara joined
ASRI as its deputy chairman.

"Although there has no been official recognition of this fact,
it was because of PTPI that ASRI could come into being," said
Rusli, who, after the establishment of ASRI, set up his own young
Indonesian artists center.

Despite his separation from ASRI, Rusli, just like Affandi and
Hendra, eventually gained great popularity and has been put in
the category of great semiabstract artists by European critics.

Collectors admire his expressive work, but Rusli does not sell
many of his paintings.

"I've never offered my paintings to collectors, much less sell
them on a large scale. Less than 10 of my paintings are in the
hands of collectors."

Rusli always devotes himself to the process of creating a
painting. If he does not think that what he has painted expresses
what is in his heart, he will simply throw it into the fire.

"I paint really for the sake of pure art, not commercial art.
So when I create my paintings I carry no burden at all."

"It is usually just my close friends who receive my paintings,
and even then, I don't sell the paintings to them. They give me
some money, yes, but the amount is insignificant. So, only true
collectors and art observers will visit me at my house. Art
traders will never come here because they know I'm really
selective in letting other people have my paintings," said Rusli,
who fell short of mentioning the general price of his paintings.

A watercolor painting on an A-3-sized piece of paper can
reportedly fetch up to Rp 20 million.

"I don't remember who collects my paintings, the titles of the
paintings in their collection or how much they have given me in
exchange for them. I've heard that there are a lot of paintings
that are passed off as mine. Some of them have even found their
way into Christie's in Singapore and have been sold at very high
prices. Let it happen as I don't want to get involved in this
forgery matter," said Rusli, who has just renovated his museum.

Rusli has a strong conviction that he will always be able to
find something to eat. "Wherever I go, friends give me some food.
So why should I sell my paintings just to fill my stomach?"

Rusli's strong principles as an artist and his great devotion
to the world of art convinced Gadjah Mada University to choose
him as the winner of the Hamengku Buwono IX Award.

Rusli, who has spent three years studying painting and dancing
at Rabindranath Tagore's Shantiniketan University in India, is
considered meritorious in art education.

"Usually, this award, which is Gadjah Mada University's
version of the Nobel, is given to scientists. However, the
assessment team believes Rusli has done quite a lot for art. He
is comparable to Affandi," Gadjah Mada University rector Sofian
Effendi said.

From his wheelchair, Rusli communicates to his guests, who
range from students wishing to write papers to international art
observers. Many guests have asked to learn painting from him and
Rusli gives them painting lessons, even though he is confined to
a wheelchair.

Rusli, who stopped painting six years ago due to physical
limitations, is a man of principle, who will never tolerate the
slightest flaw in paintings.

"I don't want to see an inferior painting. We must paint with
great care -- the same amount of care we exercise when we explore
our wife," he said chuckling.