Toto Duko paints the colors of Java

Toto Duko paints the colors of Java

JAKARTA (JP): In deep-toned primary colors, the festive
figures of artist Toto Duko are full of life and bright with
energy.

The paintings are round and female, smooth, languid. Human
forms are juxtaposed with squarely instrumental, ornamental
objects. The women wear red and gold, in groups or pairs, or
alone with a child; the celebrations of larger groups are crowded
with noise and happiness.

In oils and wooden sculpture currently on show at Duta Fine
Arts Foundation, energetic figures work, dance and celebrate rich
stories of Javanese cultural traditions and family ritual.

The 34-year-old artist from Bojonegoro, East Java,
acknowledged he is progressing now from an earlier, more
decorative style. "I used to be more of a realist, now I am more
of a Cubist," he said.

He is quiet, gentle, very calm. Only his twinkling lively eyes
betray the exuberance of life, the joyous, ebullient energy
portrayed in all his works.

For him, subject and theme are inseparable -- there is music,
of musical instruments, orchestras, concerts, dances and
celebrations -- food, textiles and the warm images of Javanese
village life.

There is the jamu (traditional herbal medicine) seller, people
pounding rice in an age-old tradition and, of course, celebrants
swaying to the sultry tones of dangdut music.

He said he started painting "young", but he graduated from
university with a degree in civil engineering. A self-taught
artist, he later won a poster competition and exhibited his works
for the first time in 1992.

What is in his heart when he begins a painting?

"I begin with the themes ... of medicine and myth, magic and
music."

His goal?

"I want people to enjoy this -- and for them to learn about
the culture." (Jeannie Fairfax).

The exhibition runs through April 8 at Duta Fine Arts
Foundation, Jl. Kemang Utara 55-A, South Jakarta (tel. 7990226).
It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday and Monday 11
a.m. to 4 p.m.