Walter van Oel: A Dutch colorist in Indonesia

Walter van Oel: A Dutch colorist in Indonesia

Jean Couteau, Contributor, /Surabaya

Raising his hands above his head, as if calling to heaven, the
man blurts out: "Nature is energy. I myself am energy and
everything is connected through energy. As a painter, my job is
to channel positive energy. This is why my painting touches
anyone looking at it. Even when at first it strikes one as
violent, it soon generates calm and quiet."

No Indonesian artist could indeed utter such words. The artist
who is thus boasting about his role as a medium artist is of
course not Indonesian, but Dutch. It is Walter van Oel, 63, whose
short exhibition at the Marriott hotel from July 18 to July 19
was followed by a show at Rupa Gallery -- until the end of the
month -- literally shaking the small art world of Surabaya.

Walter van Oel looks the part: Eyes filled with mirth, he
radiates an undeniable impression of power. Yet, more
importantly, his works truly warrant attention. Although it may
sound paradoxical for a writer to say this, Walter van Oel's
paintings do not need explaining to be appreciated. They stand
out against anything in their surroundings in the radiance of
their colors, the simplicity of their forms and the immediacy of
their symbolism.

A bright red oval or annulus in a sea of deep blue, vibrating
as one looks at it, turning into a cosmic eye in a flickering of
lights. Or a red surface metallically shimmering, right and left,
between two symmetrical esoteric signs. Or a galactic whirling of
colors melting into one another.

Here is undoubtedly an artist whose message takes on full
meaning only through color. Color as energy, as he is himself
aware of; at times still energy; at other times vibrations
issuing from the shock of contrast; at other times, colors
whirling and breaking into a kaleidoscope of hues. Most striking
is the choice of tones, and in particular the metallic brilliance
they emanate, as if Walter van Oel not only employed, but created
these colors through some secret alchemical knowledge -- which he
indeed does.

There is also the use of texture as a color enhancing device.
Walter van Oel often paints on crumpled aluminum foils in right,
mono-or multi-chromatic tones. Under the impact of light, this
brings the whole painting to life, creating the luminescence
described above.

Upon seeing Walter van Oel's wealth of colors, some will say
that the artist is pandering to estheticism. Perhaps, but why
not? Whatever some gurus may say -- who think that painting as a
media is finished -- Walter van Oel demonstrates that the
exploration of color is still an ongoing process. His best
paintings arguably represent a quantum leap in the use of color
since the color fields of the minimalists and the drab color
texture of the best informal painters of the likes of Wols and
Fautrier.

Walter van Oel is not indeed an unknown artist in his land of
origin -- nor in Indonesia. A recent Dutch book, Oog in Oog (Eye
to Eye) (2000), puts him alongside great names like Chagall,
Picasso and De Kooning as an artist who has shaped the Dutch
painting of the 20th century.

With regard to Indonesia, it was the keen eye of Toety Heraty
-- the reputed poet-cum-philosopher -- who brought him to this
country. Hearing of this artist inspired by the East, she went to
visit him in 2000 in his town of Deventer in Central Holland and
immediately invited him to exhibit in Cemara Gallery -- which he
did in 2002. He is now living half of the year in Sanur, where he
has a workshop, and the rest in Holland and Europe, where he
pursues a successful career.

What renders Walter van Oel's works attractive to the
Indonesian public is the simple symbolism they usually contain.
He has obviously made his own this remark by De Kooning: "There
is no such thing as a good painting about nothing; the subject is
crucial and only that subject matter is valid which is timeless
and tragic."

And indeed, the annulus we talked about above is the cosmic
egg of all cultures. Most other symbols are also simplified
versions of elemental symbols such as the mandala, which
encompasses the world; the cross, which separates and exorcises,
the grid, which divides inside from outside; and the magic
window, opening to the sacred infinite. As archetypes that assume
full meaning under the enlightenment of color, they also create a
kind of painting that is accessible to people from all cultures.

Part of the Surabaya exhibition consists of painting whose
symbolism is borrowed from Bali and China: Wisnu riding a Garuda
or Chinese characters. In some instance, at least to this writer,
these overly direct cultural references prevent the viewer from
being fully overwhelmed by the magic of color that otherwise
pervades the work. Walter van Oel is at his best when the "exotic
component" is at its minimum, that is when the "system of form"
of his works remains "Western" and "modern", with just a small,
yet decisive touch of Eastern inspired, and simple, spiritual
symbolism, like in "Magic Window-Kings", "Eternity" or "Magic
Window".

Walter van Oel's painting, through the cosmic symbolism that
haunts it, is perhaps one of the answers to the problems of
content found in much of modern Western art. During much of the
last century, Western art has mainly focused on the problematic
of "form", often to the detriment of meaning. When content was
emphasized, it was the psyche or politics that came to the fore.
Spiritual concerns were cast aside. Symbolism, if any, was merely
an instrument of individual recognition or action.

Walter van Oel is at the vanguard of a new generation of
Westerners, and Western artists, who have been shaped by late
20th century globalization: to them, often through contact with
non-Western faiths and beliefs, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Zen
and Sufism, which have now entered the Western cultural
mainstream, the problem of humanity's relationship with the
world, the unknown and indeed, the divine, is again becoming a
paramount topic of expression. Such artists illustrate the coming
of age of a "global spiritual wisdom" issuing from our awareness
of the limits of human power, and our need to live in harmony
with our environment.

Yet, at another level, this globalization of art, for all its
lofty goals, threatens to shake the whole Indonesian art world.
Until recently, only marginal Western artists were residing and
exhibiting in Indonesia. Now, with a smiling people, skilled
craftsmen, affordable housing and, increasingly, a market,
Indonesia, and Bali in particular, are increasingly attractive to
foreign artists, some of whom are, like Walter van Oel, already
reputed in their own country. Taking up residence and opening
their workshop here, they are up to transforming the whole
Indonesian art market. What is the answer for local artists? To
go global indeed.