Sketches, drawing exhibition put focus on disregarded art

By Wawan S. Husin

BANDUNG (JP): Sketching is regarded as a rudimentary foundation for painting, engraving and sculpting, but often these preliminary blueprints for much larger works are overlooked and not respected as works of art in themselves.

Every work of art has its own inherent value. All artists, ancient and modern, old and young, have been involved in the activity of sketching and drawing. For Claudia Betti in her Drawing: A Contemporary Approach, states "Drawing ... is the ability to observe and draw ... of students in art-crafts, painting, sculpture, or the professional fields."

According to Abun, organizer of an ongoing exhibition of drawings at Gallery Adira, Bandung, "Sketching is typically the rough draft an artist uses in clarifying his vision ... but the drawings are often just as important and valuable as works of art, too."

I agree with this. Drawings by Matisse, Widayat, Affandi and Popo Iskandar have a kind of charm in themselves and are expressions of aesthetical emotion. Their sketches and drawings have their own paradigms. Barli, in his golden age and wisdom, said that "the value of art is not limited by choice of materials, but by the artist."

The exhibition at Gallery that will go on until April 18, features about 120 drawings by 40 artists from Bandung, Surakarta, Yogyakarta and Bali. Among the well-known artists are Barli, Otto Djaja, Tisna Sanjaya, Bagong Kussudiardja, Suwadji, Lucia Hartini, Suromo, Boedi Koewat, Ipe Ma'aroef and Chusin.

The artists have shown their skill and expertise in creating their works -- Barli, Chusin, Hidayat and Tatang Ganar, among others.

Hidayat's Pemangsa Dimangsa (Predators Victimized) has very soft, clean lines. It shows a group of predators -- animals like wild fishes, foxes and dogs -- trapped in the stomach of a big fish. Tisna's Schizophrenic Culture (1998) illustrates a large, menacing creature squatting in a dank cellar surrounded by people who, strangely enough, busy themselves licking his huge tongue, symbolizing the nefarious aspects of worldly temptation.

There are many other works worth noticing, including Too Many Mouths by Herry Dim, a series of four drawings of mouths. Monumen Kursi (Chair Monument) by Freddy Sofyan is a simple square block with an old, rotten chair sitting on top of it. Lucia Hartini's Badai Membelai (Storm Caresses), shows a figure who looks like a dancer being watched by a number of eyes while she is dancing.

The exhibition has gotten a positive response from the public, including art students and artists. Gallery Adira, which opened last year, began its first exhibition with the sincere intention of shedding light on the artistic merits of drawing, and it has done a wonderful job of it. Revitalization is obviously in process in the gallery's rooms. Stepping out of the gallery, I remember Barli, who is in his golden years, stating "The value of art is not limited by the materials, but by the artist himself. A pencil in an artist's creative hand can turn a piece of paper into a significant and meaningful work of art."