Srihadi's sketches of 'struggle' from history

Srihadi's sketches of 'struggle' from history

By Chandra Johan

JAKARTA (JP): After being buried for about 50 years, the
sketches of "struggle" by Srihadi Sudarsono are now on display at
the Utan Kayu Lontar Gallery in East Jakarta until Sept. 27.

Srihadi is a master Indonesian painter who is no longer a
stranger to art lovers, connoisseurs as well as collectors. His
works in the form of sketches, which were made spontaneously and
fast, reveal several moments of history from the beginning of
this republic.

For a painter, sketches are like notes. As notes, they stand
autonomously as a work of art and can also be continued on the
canvas. Only by using a pencil or ink can a painter quickly and
spontaneously record each moment and event considered attractive
and significant. Through his sketches, Srihadi has recorded
moments of historical events neglected in the research of
history, or because they were too trifling to be attended to.

A work of art is not a description of historical science, the
more narrative history. Scientific narrative history wants to
make a description of the past by reconstructing what happened
through a story, or in other words, selecting and organizing
important events according to a time axis so that it is arranged
as a story. With such an approach, historical research only
focuses and arranges big events while neglecting smaller ones and
the role of the ordinary man involved in it. In the neoscientific
approach of contemporary history, they cannot be neglected
anymore like that because there are many things that cannot be
shortened in scientific arrangement. Therefore, other instruments
are needed in order to see another corner of each event. Herewith
Srihadi has contributed something meaningful.

Srihadi's sketches truly don't record big, noble and dramatic
events in the milestones of Indonesia's history. Srihadi didn't
build an iconography with those sketches. Nothing is exalted, and
it is as if every event that happened was ordinary. Sketches of
ruined airplanes, which at that moment perhaps didn't mean
anything in the turbulence, are presented in serenity. Actually,
we are presented with fragments like that, and in each fragment
we are also faced with temporariness and contiguity, where we are
shown a period of full insecurity.

However, as notes which catch fragments in history, his work
must be seen in a series of turbulent events in the period of
Indonesian struggle between l946 to 1949. Historian Taufik
Abdullah explains in his introduction to this exhibition that the
whole background of Srihadi's sketches was depicted in this
turbulent atmosphere. Taufik described the tension at that time
as a consequence of a conflict of interest from the Indonesian
and Dutch sides and also colonial political practices, including
the use of violence, which nowadays is considered a black page in
history by world society. Dutch aggression, which happened in two
incidents, showed political turbulence between l946 and l949 was
limited to the political setting at the conference table, which
involved only politicians. The involvement of society in the
social revolution was reflected in Srihadi's and a number of
other artists' involvement.

At that time, Srihadi as a painter changed to the role of
photographer as he noted important events visually. He was also
involved in the armed struggle against the Dutch military
oppression.

These sketches could also show the relation of an Indonesian
artist with the political and social conditions around him. In
the beginning of Indonesian modern art history, the political and
social conditions always invited reactions for artists to reflect
them in their works. Some of the artists were involved in
collective struggles, while others joined groups for political
aims.

Srihadi used to be a member of the Young Indonesian Artists of
Surakarta branch in 1948. It was founded by Sudjojono, a figure
from Indonesian modern art who from the beginning showed a
resistant attitude toward colonialism. Although the content and
theme of social politics in his sketches looked dominant enough,
such as in Berunding (Discussion) and Rapat Umum di Alon-alon
Yogyakarta (Public Meeting in Yogyakarta Square), Srihadi didn't
neglect the aesthetic aspect. Sketches like Pemandangan Kaliurang
(Kaliurang Panorama), Jeep Willys, Stasiun Kereta Api Yogyakarta
(Yogyakarta Train Station) and Seorang Pejuang di Dalam Kereta
Api (A Hero on a Train) record daily events and views which
sufficiently considered aesthetic aspects.

In light of them, Srihadi's sketches can be categorized in
three groups. First, sketches which record events. These sketches
made in the l940s were related with his job as reporter-painter,
when he documented several interesting events, like the serenity
sketch Reruntuhan Pesawat Dakota (The Ruin of the Dakota
Airplane), Bung Tomo Membalas Larangan Berbicara (Bung Tomo
Counters the Ban to Speak), Kongres Taman Siswa Yogya (Taman
Siswa Yogyakarta Congress) and Gedung Perundingan (Discussion
Hall). The question is: Did he record without interpretation? In
sketches like these, interpretation doesn't have to change. In
this case, interpretation will be seen in the lines he drew,
which show the role of emotion there, like in Bung Tomo Membalas
Larangan Berbicara. It seems Srihadi knew when to record as
precisely as possible; when he was freer with emotion. In the
Dakota ruins sketch, he seemed to want to be more precise,
drawing each part of the completely destroyed plane.

The second group is the sketches of faces, especially faces of
important figures at that time. Among those are Sukarno,
Sudjojono, Mrs. Rahmi Hatta and faces of confreres from
Australia, Belgium and U.S. In these sketches, Srihadi showed his
interpretation of the character of the figures he drew. He didn't
try to chase the resemblance of the characteristics and features
of a nation.

The third group is free sketches, in the sense that it has no
relation with the theme of social political struggle at that
time. Srihadi recorded several artistic objects which attracted
him, like a model, a jeep or a two-wheeled cart, a dancer, a
group of gamelan players, landscape and city views. In these
sketches, Srihadi surely made a sufficient and free enough
interpretation as if he wanted to note something important or
meaningful about every simple object.

Jim Supangkat, one of two currators of the exhibition (the
other currator is Asikin Hasan), said the sketches in the last
group also reflect idealism. Even the view of nature, the dancer
and the flower were not merely presenting beauty for Srihadi, he
said. After he has been painting for 50 years, this tendency
shows the main thread of his art.