Setting 'modern Indonesian art' straight
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.