Setting 'modern Indonesian art' straight

Het Ideaal Van Een Moderne Indonesische Schilderkunst, 1900-1995 (The Ideal of Modern Indonesian Painting, 1900-1995); By Helena Spanjaard; Helena Spanjaard, The Netherlands; 276 pp + xii; 49.50 guilders

AMSTERDAM (JP): Helena Spanjaard's study on modern Indonesian painting has been discussed for a long time in art circles. It is finally available in Indonesia, although in Dutch but with summaries in Indonesian and English. The author managed to publish it herself and it is available at the Erasmus Huis cultural center. Any collector interested in placing his or her works in the larger context of art history in Indonesia should read it.

As a foreign publication, it is the third after ones by Claire Holt (1967) and Astri Wright (1994) and the first written by a European who is also a trained artist and art historian. An extensive bibliography refers to many more publications, foreign and Indonesian.

The 276 pages include seven chapters and, most importantly, more than 110 reproductions. These are used to illustrate the many points the author makes.

Spanjaard has made some strong statements, including those relating to the debate on modern art.

"Modern art from Indonesia is usually classed by (Western) art historians as "Eastern Art" and usually associated with traditional art forms as batik, wayang and painting Bali-style. This is a continuation of colonial thinking," she writes.

The art of painting, she believes, was originally imported to please a colonial public. "However, it would be better to qualify modern Indonesian painting as international, because it contains elements of many cultures."

The book guides the reader through history and explains periods and styles. Starting from the colonial period, much attention is paid to rising Indonesian nationalism and the role of painters in this context. The development of modern Indonesian painting is treated in a sociological way, emphasizing the importance of the Persagi group, the first organization set up which was oriented to modern artists here; the revolutionary period in the 1940s and the search for a national cultural identity during the 1950s.

The last chapter discusses the Indonesian movement she calls "back to the roots" (1965 to 1995). This period is especially interesting because it shows the "Indonesian cultural identity" has many faces.

Famous names are placed in an art history background, thus enriching the perception of the onlooker. The illustrations and examples used have only one disadvantage: more than 110 reproductions cannot do justice to the richness of contemporary art production. Only a few painters are mentioned here. Collectors should not be tempted by this study to limit themselves to buying such named artists.

Collectors with a real love for art can learn a lot from the point of view of an art historian which will enrich their perceptions.

It will also enable and hopefully engage them in the exciting discovery of new, talented artists, more than clinging to published names.

-- Boudewijn Brands

The reviewer is an art collector.