Talent, following the norm not everything

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Magelang, Central Java

Two painters, Nashar and Batara Lubis, have proven that talent and "obedience" for mainstream art are not everything.

Once, both painters were shunned by their gurus as having "no talent" to become painters, as their works went against the grain of traditional, mainstream art.

These days, their works have become collectors' items and rank among the most sought-after paintings in the country.

In the mid 1990s, for instance, some of Nashar's abstract paintings were auctioned off in Singapore, reportedly to the tune of some Rp 30 million each.

Now some 51 works by the two artists are being exhibited at Widayat Gallery through Feb. 14.

According to gallery director Fajar "Pungky" Purnomosidi, the exhibition was set up in the building's largest room to enhance people's appreciation of their paintings -- showing that paintings once ignored could one day become collectors' items.

"Nothing related the two painters during their lives. Both were considered by their teachers as having no talent when, in fact, both created worthy art works; that's why we exhibited their works together here," Pungky, son of painter Widayat, said.

Born in Pariaman, West Sumatra, on Oct. 3, 1928, the late Nashar dedicated most of his life to painting.

He started his career at the age of 16, when he joined a painting class under the supervision of maestros S. Soedjojono and Affandi in Jakarta.

But after observing Nashar's works, Soedjojono said that "it would be better for you to work in an office, or sign up for the military because you have no talent."

Such comments did little to dampen Nashar's enthusiasm for his craft. On the contrary, he became even more energized to realize his creations, spending most of his time working.

A close friend, Ajip Rosidi, chairman of Rancage Cultural Foundation and a collector of his paintings, recalled Nashar as being a stubborn man.

"When told not to do something, he deliberately responded by doing whatever it was very enthusiastically," he said.

Since 1956, not a single year passed for Nashar without exhibitions. Unfortunately, at the time, his abstract works were not the kind collectors sought after -- mainly because the mainstream was naturalist and realist.

At that point, merely owning a painting sold was sufficient for Nashar.

But according to Ajip, Nashar was not a painter who liked to adjust his works tailored to market demands. He just kept painting his way. "For him, painting was a basic need for his life, just like breathing. When he was not doing so, he would feel pained," he said.

Nashar described his work as having three principles: no concept, no technique, and no aesthetic -- reasons why his paintings did not gain popularity earlier on.

But painting maestro Widayat sees the artists' works as powerful in patterns and color, with unique compositions, making them easy to enjoy.

"You cannot find abstract paintings like those in the international market. They are quite distinctive," Widayat said.

Some of Nashar's paintings included in the exhibition are Dunia Binatang (Animal World, 1972); Horizon (1979); Gempa Bumi (Earthquake, 1984); Melahirkan (Giving Birth, 1986), and Debat Tuyul (Tuyul's Debate, 1990).

A similar story was also experienced by South Tapanuli-born painter Batara Lubis, who died in 1986 at the age of 58. He was "condemned" by his painting teacher, Trubus S., as having no talent to become a painter just because he, too, did not follow mainstream realism and naturalism.

But he kept on painting until he met Sudarso, Affandi and Hendra Gunawan, who encouraged him to paint as freely.

As a result, his paintings were selected to take for the Afro- Asia painting exhibition during the famous Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung.

His name is also mentioned in a book entitled Indonesian Fine Art by Clair Holt of Cornell University.

Lubis' rich and colorful decorative paintings mostly pictured various aspects of traditional lives especially in Batak, Java, and Bali, where he once lived. That's why traditional spheres and motifs of either Batak, Java, and Bali, dominated most of his paintings.

Among his exhibited works are Gerobak Yogya (Yogya's Push- cart, 1985); Penjual Pisang Yogya (Yogya's Banana Seller, 1986); Patung Batak (Batak's Statue, 1985); Putri Bali (Balinese Princess, 1978), and Burung Merak (Peacock, 1960).