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.