(1)

There are always three interrelated elements in every art work.
First: thought and intellectuality which urge the birth of new works.
Second: emotion and "inner drive" which give humanistic root to bring forth the intrinsic values of truth, and third: the artist's skills and ability in mastering various expressing techniques/media to materialize the desired art work.

An art work can be distinguished from production result by its nature of showing such "newness", something unique and containing certain values. An art work is a transformation on its own right. It requires certain struggle, from the beginning until the work is finished. A creativity process which directly distinguishes art work from ordinary products, such as a car, watch or spaceship. It can be said that an art work is the fruit of culture and thinking, as well as the emotion of a creative artist.

As a creator, an artist is a person who brings about "new" values. He/She is a person who tries to keep chasing and "formulating" the truth as he/she believes, to run forward to contribute his art works as a social enlightenment. With his/her esthetic sensitivity and intellectual insight, he/she gives birth to "beautiful" works, and the "beauty" in said works must be sensed by observers who are also sensitives. If this succeeds, then he deserves to be called an artist. The calling to create an art work is, thus, an intrinsic need, something which is a sponteneous, natural and not a pretense nor a compulsion. An art work is the reflection of an artist's personal soul.

(2)

When one senses the result of today's development, one will feel many progress in various life sectors, especially physically. The changed and improved various facilities making human life "easier" and "more comfortable", on the one hand and all those, other results relating to the development of life itself. Nightmare about materialism have, whether consciously or not, brought about the pollution of distrust, erosion in idealistic thinking, fear in having certain attitudes, and dependency, all which have run down over the majority of our society. The fast growing consumptivism proves how physical, worldly and materialistic things have emerged as an attitude in modern cultures.

What is the fatal result of this situation? Loss of dignity and eroded confidence, independence becomes only a dream and, more fundamentally, humanity only appears as a lips-service.

Who can first feel these fatal results? As a universal truth, the groups who can first feel it are religious leaders, scientists and artist. Spiritual life values, supposed to be possessed by every art work, and is the "soul" of that art work itself so that it may be called "alive", is an issue which is complex, yet flexible and distinct and will grow in accord with the growth of esthetic experience of thinking of the artist.

It is this voice of truth which will always appear in the inner life of the artist, appearing in term of the question how or why, every time the artist looks at his/her works. Each question contains the seed of renewal, hidden. When these questions have not gotten satisfactory answers, there is always a possibility that there is "something" not merely physical that we can observe from said work.

In reality, the question being asked is not "how or why", but "Is/Are". As soon as the question "Is/Are" is asked, the soul of the work "flies away". Then the work is only seen as a product.

If the emotional power of an artist can deal with the question "how or why", and provide a broader, freer and more independent scope from his/her inner feelings, the work will march forward in accord with its destiny as a spiritual nourishment which awakens the spiritual life in the observer.

(3)

Nature as a total union of the micro and macro cosmos is like an eternal Teacher who opens every page of a textbook any time and anywhere. It is us who must keep studying each page, capturing the essence of each problem and trying to understand the essential spirit of nature.

Every cultural period will bring about an art work of its own era and will never be repeated. Efforts to 'revive' the old principles of arts will result in stillborn works of art. There is no future for external art works. On the other hand, internal art works, works which have the emotions, spiritual vibration and inner feeling of the artist will contain seeds for the future.

Today's world is a communication era, where information abounds and can be used by all, for negative or positive purposes. Arts becomes universal, no longer West or East, North or South, superpower's or developing countries. Information input from all over the world, exchange of life's point of view from many experiences and traditions, cultural transmission between nations have enabled the emergence of new development in arts itself.

(4)

Talking about Indonesian Contemporary Art, we have to trace back into history, especially in the history of art works/fine arts. Art works in Indonesia can be devided into traditional and non-traditional types of expression. A traditional art is the creative expression of society, in which every form of creation - painting, sculpture, architecture and even the slightest articles of everyday use - is fashioned not only for its utility, but as an appropiate symbolical revelation of those supernatural powers that are believed to govern the terrestial order. A traditional art could be described as a functional one, since in it religious images, as well as tools, are made for efficiency. They are made to work, and they can only perform their separate functions, magical and practical, if the artist has properly followed the rules of his craft and the various prescriptions and taboos calculated to produce a magic effigy of unseen power. Part of the efficiency as well as the beauty of such objects will depend upon the rightness of their making, from the point of view, not only material and technique, but of laws respecting priestly supervision have developed as appropriate to the end.

In a traditional art, whether we are concerned with portraits, landscapes, religious images or birds and other animals, the artist's point of view is never realistic, but conceptual, in that he intends to represent the most essential or typical aspects of things as the mind knows them, rather than as the eyes sees them. The aim is to represent a universal and recognizable symbol, rather than a facsimile of an actual object. Whereas traditional art is almost invariably anonymous, and the painter or sculptor a dedicated craftsman, the non- tradtional artist is an individual who uses art as an expression of his own personal moods or as a means for displaying his own technical virtuosity. In non-traditional periods artists will express themselves in realistic terms because their whole belief and experience are centered on the material world.

Observing the rapid growth of Indonesian arts since the early 80s, and its impacts on the depth of values of his own works, (the late) Nashar made a strong statement, particularly in his assessment on the individual problems of every artist. His concept regarding the cultural magnet and non-cultural magnet was conveyed in a discussion with his fellow painters in Puri Naga II, Ubud, owned by Wahyu Wijaya in March, 1989. From his teachers, such as (the late) Soedjojono and (the late) Affandi, there was something implanted in Nashar and his friends from the same generation. That something was the cultural ideals, or idealism, as a painter, is the spirit to fill out the independence and materialize Indonesian painting arts. For instance, how PERSAGI (the Association of Indonesian "Painters") strongly opposes the painting style and attitude of "Hindia Molek" ("Mooi Indie" or "Beautiful East Indies"). Such a cultural ambition and spirit will grow like a magnet. Whatever happens, they will cling on the magnet.

In Nashar's generation, in addition to the growth of this magnet, there was also another magnet emerged, namely their dependancy on Soedjojono and Affandi, their fear as students towards teachers. For instance, every time there was an exhibition, they would first show their works to the teachers and ask them to choose the works to be exhibited. This condition would also develop like a magnet. This means that at that time there were two magnets growing. There were some painters trying te free themselves from the magnet of fear towards Affandi and Soedjojono, but would still hold on to the other magnet, the ideal-cultural magnet.

The success of this revolt awakened the feeling of being equal, no more sense of dependancy. In addition, there also emerged a new power, and it was only natural if conflicts occured, within those ideal-cultural borders. This developed during Nashar's generation and each painter also developed the cultural magnet. In the 50s-60s, another `disturbance' appears, namely the urge/desire to be a famous painter or to have position/ranks. This grew yet another magnet. And conflicts again occured, but this time not within the cultural climate.

Around the 70s, not only the urge/desire to be famous or to get position, there grew still another magnet. The desires to sell well, to fetch high prices, the ambition to win awards, and how "to eat" (which was previously not a problem) and many more. He called those urges the non-cultural magents. The obsession towards the non-cultural, whether consciously or not, will lessen or even kill the growth of cultural magnet.

This is today's condition. What are the steps to build up the cultural magnet, which, in principle is already there in each of those artists? Again, this is an individual's problem to be solved by the artist alone.

(5)

In an art workshop in 1983, at Balai Budaya, Jakarta, Nashar again made a statement in one of his `midnight letters', his obsession in observing the development of fine arts in Indonesia, his hopes and dreams. According to Nashar, the condition of arts in Indonesia may be classified into 5 categories:

1. Calligraphy Painters For Nashar, why do these painters want to paint calligraphy? Because they want to create `new' paintings, which are different from the ones already in existence and at the same time propagate the religious teachings. From this point of view, a question arises: how far do the painters believe in the verses of the Quran which they wrote in modern calligraphy, besides their arts' ambition? That arts' ambition seems to be very dominant.

2. New Fine Arts Painters (Seni Rupa Baru). They also wanted to renew the existing Indonesian paintings. For them there were only fine arts as can be seen ffrom their works, the combination of sculpture, painting, graphic art, etc, all in one. Ordinary, daily thins can become an art object. The existing forms of painting, sculpture, or graphic arts, were considered as old fashioned, conservative. (Note: this group New Fine Art Painters has officially dissolved themselves).

3. Painters who direct their will to create paintings which are proper and can be displayed in buildings. A lot of luxurious buildings and real estate were built in large cities and those were their target. Their techniques and esthetics were adjusted to the needs of such luxurious building/houses. Such need became dominant in their works.

4. Painters who tried their best to maintain one style of painting. Such painters surely had various directions and purposes. There are even some who maintain their style as hard as possible, without eve trying any other style for fear that they would not be respected/known by other people. Style is the dominant issue for these artists.

5. Several cultural experts once said, the arts should uplift the rouse tradition/classic arts for modern processing. Some painters, in interpreting this meaning, choose traditional/classic works of art as their objects in their paintings. In that way they try to convince themselves that their works are national art works. This struggle is dominant for them.

From the five categories, Nashar made a comparison to how a world-famous painter is born. We know world-famous painters through books or museums. The books and especially museums are an absolute necessity because they are definetly useful for all ages. Museums are generally built by the Government with the help from private companies, which consist of individuals who have not only a great interest for arts, but also great spirit power. Why? Because the persons who have great spiritual powers will certainly choose paintings/art works which also have spiritual power, and thy have a plan for the future. On the contrary, those with small and weak spiritual power will have different choice.

World-famous artists certainly have such way of thinking, and the life problems in arts creation have been solved at the start of their career. How can they have great and strong spiritual power? It is the persistent struggle which is dominant for them in their lives of arts. Therefore, based on the above comparison, what should be dominant in creating arts? The answer will be found in those world-famous artists, namely having real objects with strong spiritual power which does not appear in itself, but is obtained through real struggle.

(6)

The process of creating art is a spiritual adventure which never ends. There are temporary stopping places, as if it is a place to stand on before moving further on. At the time an art work is created as "someting new", for the artist or the observer, this birth is something new which must be experienced fully. We have a feeling of solidarity with time, with psychological power divided by spiritual experience satisfying our inner, spiritual demands from all phenomena that can be offered from life itself.

Art works are created to say where we are, and they also exist to tell who we are. The new arts works, the modern ones, are a total expression from the essential life experience of a generation responsible for sharing this experience of going through life itself. This experience involves the total aspect of human values, even those not realized or illogical for themselves.

Each element supports the creation of an art work having its own strength and spiritual power appropriate to their own true character. Each of them has their own identity. The sensitivity of an artist for constant, honest listening to their inner voice and to be opened to absorb the experience of life will be able, easily and clearly, to be intimate with the identity of each element which supports the birth of an art work. As an identity, these elements will grow and flower like the individually of the artist.

The process of creation is a journey entering into spaces filled many gates. The awareness to choose, to open and to enter the gate is a requirement for the modern artist aware that their work is like `a child of the times'.

They will not be lonely, because the symphony music pours our from their inner selves. The sounds of this beautiful music attend their every step.

They will not be in the dark, because the true light and their spiritual eye will bring clarity to break through the new gate.

Jakarta, 3 December 1995

M. Sulebar Soekarman Painter, Fulltime lecturer in the Jakarta Institute of the Arts (IKJ-LPKJ)

Bibliography:
Ayatrohaedi : "Kepribadian Bangsa" (Local Genius), Pustaka Jaya, Jakarta 1986
Hassan, Fuad: "Renungan Budaya", Balai Pustaka, Jakarta 1988
Hall, James B & Ulanov, Barry: "Modern Culture and the arts", McGraw Hill Book co USA, 1977
Lipsey, Roger: "An Art of Our Own - The Spiritual in Twentieth Century Art", Shambhala Publ. Boston USA,1988
Shan, Ben: "The shape of Content", Harvard University Press, USA 1957
Sulebar M. Soekarman: Sarasehan Seni Rupa in DKS, Surabaya, 4th november 1986
Sulebar M. Soekarman: Sarasehan Seni Rupa in Taman Budaya Padang, 5th september 1992
Sulebar M. Soekarman: Entering a New Gate, Yogyakarta, 1st october 1992
Sulebar M. Soekarman: Preface of Jakarta Arts Exhibition, 13-22 September 1995 in TIM Jakarta