Sudjana Kerton's virtues exposed
By Carla Bianpoen
JAKARTA (JP): When the seventh-day tahlilan (special Muslim prayers for the dead) for artist Sudjana Kerton filled the mountain air enfolding his studio and home Sanggar Luhur (Noble Workshop) on a hilltop in Bandung, it was as if the persons sitting on his living room mats had come straight out from the canvases gracing the walls of the house where he had lived and worked during the last 26 years of his life.
There they were -- writes his widow Louise Kerton in her diary in April 1994 -- with sun-blackened grave and somber faces, sitting cross-legged on the mats, holding their prayer books in their work-worn hands, just as Sudjana had portrayed them, as he celebrated on canvas their acceptance of life.
The common people and their daily toil have had an enduring impact on the works of Sudjana. But what has apparently impressed him most was the simplicity of their lives and ways to keep their mind tuned to the human soul while retaining a sense of humor. Even as he lived abroad for 25 years, he remained obsessed with these qualities.
Perhaps it was the importance of these qualities, apart from his love, that made him continue to reflect on the images of people and scenes from his youth. Even when real life had changed with the passing of time.
His ventures in the Netherlands, the United States, France and Mexico may have had an impact on his style and technique, but not much -- if any -- on his subject matters.
Back in Bandung, painting the past was his way of commenting on the present. "He wanted to preserve the true life of the common people that he saw slowly disappearing", explained Louise.
Most of these works were painted from memory. Louise, who married Sudjana in 1953 in New York, revealed she was fascinated by his strength of purpose, his intensity of spirit and his dream of the future.
In New York, he set up his own studio and gallery. It was a space where he could be with the images of his youth and share them with others. It was not easy, but, as his wife explained, he had her and the children's full support. "It was a family venture," she said.
Returning to Bandung in 1976, Sudjana set up his workshop in Bandung's hilltop, surrounded by Mount Manglayang, Tangkuban Prahu and the Malabar hills. The choice was typical for his clear vision of life. The plot he chose was deserted -- no road and no water, let alone electricity. It was nature in its most original shape.
The current exhibition at Cemara-6 Gallery provides a glimpse of the works of an Indonesian painter whom the Star Weekly had once dubbed "the wolf who is walkin' alone". The artist's commitment to his integrity and love of people is unfolded through 93 works comprising sketches on paper, graphic art (lithos, etchings and woodcuts) and 19 reproductions of oil paintings stolen from the workshop four years ago.
Di dalam Oplet (Anatomy of an Oplet), as the exhibition is titled, may be considered a homage to the artist, with Prof. Dr. Toeti Heraty, Ayip Rosidi and Heri Dono expressing their appreciation of Sudjana on the exhibition's opening night on Aug. 8.
Front line
Sudjana's capability to grasp the essence of the moment was honed while working as a journalist (1944-1950) for the Patriot military magazine, which was headed by Usmar Ismail. His instant sketches of political events were so captivating that they enough for his editor to write up the story. They were also priceless historical chronicles made at a time when cameras and handycams were still rare.
Simple lines in ink or pencil, drawn in the rush of the moment showed not only his professional skill, but also his ability to captivate the ongoing dynamics and mood.
The flowing lines in sketches like Bung Karno Sedang Pidato di Cirebon (Soekarno making a speech in Cirebon), May 23, 1947 and Soeasana Penjerahan Kekoeasaan Militer di Bandoeng (The Atmosphere During the Handing Over Ceremony of Military Authority in Bandung), 1949, illustrate a sharp eye as well as a high level of sensitivity, qualities that were to mark his art throughout his career as an artist.
Mood sketches and drawings also provided a glimpse of how the common people went on with their lives, no matter what.
The numerous sketches that make out a major part of the current exhibition center on the lives of ordinary people during the time of the revolution. Vendors, roadside tailors, marriages and marketplaces are among the usual themes, with people going about their daily jobs and workers napping under a tree taking prominence.
There is also a drawing of people reading the newspaper while leaning against their bicycle by the roadside, but this seems to be the only hint of his interest in people outside the ordinary.
Besides drawings and sketches, the exhibition also shows Sudjana's skills in lithos, etchings, woodcuts and watercolors, which have rarely been exposed in Indonesia.
The stolen repros are also on show as an effort to announce that the originals legally belong to the Kerton family.
Related to the issue, a discussion will be held on Aug. 23, starting 1:00 p.m. at Cemara Gallery, on Intellectual Property Rights in Fine Arts.
The speakers will be, among others, Merwan Yusuf of the National Gallery Board, Emmawati Yunus of the Directorate for Intellectual Property Rights of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights and DR Cita Priapanca Citrawinda of Biro Oktrooi Roosseno.
'Di Dalam Oplet' Sudjana Kerton is on display until Aug. 26, 2001 at Cemara-6 Gallery, Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto 9-11, Menteng, Central Jakarta. Phone: 324 505, 391 18761. Open: every day from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.