about us
Interlude - August 2007
The Facts of Art and Beauty
By Agus Dermawan T.
“The fundamental purpose of the artist is the same as that of a scientist: to state a fact”. ( Herbert Read, Art thinker).
In their search for perfection, artists from all corners of the world have learnt the best way to express reality is to search through their own solitary journey. This attempt to achieve perfection led to the birth of various conceptual ideas about art, culminating in several streams of art. The most important figures in Impressionism – Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet and others, founded the fact that art especially paintings, come to exist from the role of light. Without light, people cannot recognise form thus resulting in an inability to express the characteristic of things around us. It was concluded that light needs to be honed, developed and worshipped to perfection.
Surrealists Andre Breton and Salvador Dali believe that factual art begins from the unconscious. The conception is the elaboration of psychoanalysis proposed by Sigmund Freud. The followers of Expressionism such as James Ensor and Edvard Munch say that truth in art can only be created from an emotion that is not controlled by thought. Therefore, in this instance, art is akin to the purity of the artist’s soul.
Meanwhile, Henri Matisse discovered through Fauvism that the main spirit in the creation of painting is not form but colour. Hence, the function of form in a painting is to deliver the role of colour. Piet Mondrian using Neoplasticism founded the new fact that colour originates from three elements: blue, yellow, and red while black and white are certain. Thus, in his art, he used only four colours in a geometric composition that resembles the design of a handkerchief.
***
In his attempt to search for truth in art, Narko Hanjaya, born in 1956, has his own understanding. He was born in Solo and grew up in the “centre of Java”, he believes in the philosophy of art ala Java. Art or “sani” in Java is considered to be soft and complicated work and it is an activity that should be dealt with care because of its complexity.
Therefore, in Javanese culture and cosmology, the creation of art initiated with meditation. It is the tranquil nature of meditation that lends the artists a genteel energy to conceive the aesthetics for a fine work of art. In Javanese, there is a proverb that reads “Layap-layaping aluyub, eneng, ening, unong”, that means, only an uninterrupted meditative state of mind can experience serenity. And beauty is born out of stillness or sunyasuri.
It is perhaps accidental that Narko Hanjaya established his art on this meditative philosophy when he first held his pencil, pen, brush, paper, paint and canvas. The central Javanese culture is second nature to him resulting in an emotion and thought that reflects his style. “I feel that refinement is the main part of art, such in painting. The experience is like that of an ironsmith forging a kris (dagger), or when a choreographer creates dances such as bedoyo and serimpi” he says.
He ascertains that ngrumit or alusan (fine art) is in the psychological make-up of Javanese culture. In Java, artists (including painters and carvers or juru sungging) hold dominance over other professions because the creation of an excellent masterpiece is held in high regard. This premise explains why Narko Hanjaya’s paintings are extraordinary fine works of art.
For example, Narko’s pencil works – his sharp pencil is like a needle etching bit by bit on white paper. Thousands of fine lines form soft, gentle shades. These shades transform volume to project an image of various objects that he interprets photographically.
Using this technique, he draws an old banyan tree with its pronounced spiral roots sheltered by dense leaves. Look at the texture of the picture perfect banyan tree. The pencil scratches on the hanging roots are intricately drawn with detail and precision. The dewy quality of the wet leaves are carefully studied and brought to life.
On another sheet of paper, he draws bird cages that he saw in the bird market. He draws every single wood grating of each bird cage. The sun ray penetrates through the holes on the roof and the sunlight is mirrored on the side of the cages, translating the detailed big picture that he intends to express.
In another painting, he depicts a carved wall from the corner of a temple in Ubud, Bali. Or, look at how he also portrays the decades-old mossed vicinity that has guarded the gate of a palace. This spot that he picked is dressed in checkered sarong. Then, he emotes the artistic features of an angkul-angkul that he found by the sidewalk of a small lance not far from Beratan Lake. He continues with a painting highlighting an ancient Bali gate possibly decorated with the pictures of Sugriwa and Subali. The characteristics of the stones, the visual rendering of the wood, the tenderness of age-old moss, the refined curves of wall carvings, the checkered pattern of a sarong used as a drape – these things of beauty are the simple yet important parts of Narko’s creations. “While working on the aspects of art stemming from philosophical awareness, everything flows lightly and at the same time it is filled with earnestness,” he says.
Narko’s brand of philosophical awareness deals with the fine and intricate works ala Java. It is also shown in his paintings using water colour on paper. His pencil works tend to be black and white in drawing or semi drawing category, while his water colour paintings are very colourful.
Sometimes, Narko adds a touch of colour in his black and white drawings. This effort adds just the right amount of accent to the painting. This imagery is reminiscent of the epic film Schindler’s List directed by Steven Spielberg. It is also indicative of Ken Patern’s works, a drawing expert from New Zealand now living in Indonesia.
***
Narko’s ability to work with water colour should be noted. He draws every detail of his object using the fine dry brush technique. He works carefully due to his adherence and sensitivity to form, while we know that painting in the realism style using water colour is extremely difficult. Once the brush goes the wrong way, the whole work will go the the waste basket. The level of difficulty is equally demanding with the wet brush technique. Narko’s mastery in the dry brush technique is consistently apparent in his paintings with characters in costumes.
Narko sees his various objects with spontaneity and he observes without interruption. Anything that he feels is instinctively and intuitively considered attractive is taken as an object. Because everything is the result of spontaneity, we can see objects in close up proximity. This is similar to American painters of photorealism such as Tom Blackwell, Richard Estes, Audrey Flack, Ralph Goings and Ron Kleemann.
In the thematic aspect, Narko’s paintings have the tendency to present small and trivial things - things that people possibly bypass everyday. Therefore, Narko’s works are free from the great pretension to advocate grand themes. He does not profess his works as a sign or symbol, neither does he intend for sullen or sensational history. His paintings do not show any intention to be reflections of society.
This tendency is in line with the nature of the Javanese culture that steers clear of sensitive topics, especially social and political issues. We remember the philosophy of “mikul ndhuwur, mendhem jero”, that is, putting forward what is good and burying what is bad. To enjoy Narko’s paintings, all we have to do is to stop over at a shady and quiet terminal to soak up a happy interlude.
Narko’s paintings stand resolute in the field of realism. He chooses the style because realism is an eternal school. It is an ever moving stream. Realism isn’t a short-lived style of painting. It is a style with flexibility. It is a great school, even a grand school. The concept of “ars imitatur naturam” (art imitates nature) has been in existence for about 2,300 years.
Since realism moves with time, etymologically, Narko’s works can be called contemporary. The word contemporary is derived from “co” (together with) and “tempo” (time). However, Narko is not interested in the hailed term “contemporary” that frequently has different meanings.
Narko Hanyaja was born among a family of artists. His elder brother Gunawan Hanjaya is a renowned painter of flowers and flora. His uncle, Tedja Suminar, is a well-known figurative painter from Surabaya, now living in Ubud. His aunt, Moentiana Tedja, and his other uncle, the late Adi Munardi, are painters. His niece, Natalini Widhiasi was a reputed child painter.
However, the environment that potentially should influence Narko’s evolution in his paintings has no trace at all in his works. The flora that his brother concentrates on does not touch him. The figurative paintings of his uncle do not stir him. The decorative style of his uncle and aunt is far from his reference. Narko walks alone in his belief in the Javanese philosophy
***
Agus Dermawan T.
Art Critic and Author of Art Books
