27 Juli 2023

Year :2023

Designer :dia.lo.gue Artspace

BOOK, PAPER & DISCOVERY

Lithography Exhibition: Indonesia, 1570-1903
pembukaan pameran:

 

Kamis, 27.07.2023
17.30-20.30
dia.lo.gue
Kemang Selatan 99a
Jakarta

 

Diresmikan oleh:
Hilmar Farid Ph.D
Direktur Jenderal Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia

 

Periode pameran
27 Juli – 3 September 2023

 

Menampilkan bukan hanya seni cetak di atas kertas tapi juga cerita, dokumentasi perjalanan, ekspedisi, penelitian, dan penemuan yang sebagian besar diambil dari buku. Melalui pameran ini, kami mengajak pengunjung melihat langsung puluhan litograpfi & buku asli seperti “The History of Java” (1987), karya Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, dan “The Malay Archipelago” (1869), karya Alfred Russel Wallace tentang keanekaragaman hayati dan budaya Nusantara. “The Landscape of Java’s Album” dari Junghuhn menggambarkan gunung yang sangat unik dan eksotis. Ada juga karya putra Indonesia, Raden Saleh, “A Dramatic Scene of Tiger and Lions Fighting Over A Dead Horse.” Karya-karya ini yang bukan hanya sekadar pencapaian artistik tinggi dihasilkan oleh para penjelajah, namun  juga merupakan karya-karya bersejarah yang memberikan kontribusi penting bagi cerita dan perkembangan seni modern negara kita.

 

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The works exhibited are lithographic works printed on paper that are hundreds of years old. They are documentation of journeys, expeditions, research. and archiving, most of which are taken from books.

 

Books adorned with illustrated images in this era have to go through a lengthy process involving many parties. An example is the work of Rivière de Bezouki (Besuki River, East Java) taken from the book “Voyage Autour du Mende” (1835). This book contains records of La Favourite’s expeditions. a sailing ship led by a famous French navigator named Cyrille·Pierre Theodore Laplace. Initiated by the French government, this project had political objectives. Through commercial, scientific, and artistic diplomacy, the French government intended to expand French influence. particularly in Southeast Asia, to counter British political interests in the region. The production of this book involved Barthelemy Lauvergne, who began capturing what he saw in the form of sketches, drawings. and paintings. The results were then transformed into beautiful lithographic works using the aquaint engraver technique by Sigismond Himely, who collaborated wilh Louis Auguste de Sainson. The long and professional collaboration among the originator. ship captain, artist, writer, printing press, editor, and publisher yielded very impressive results.

 

Another great example would be “‘The History of Java” [1987) by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, an Englishman who was deeply obsessed with conducting expeditions around Java, to document life on the island which was full of diversity with unique geographical and cultural aspects. Filled with beautiful illustrations, this book is highly significant, containing detailed records of life on the island of Java during that period. Even today, this book remains sought after by collectors because it was printed using colored lithographic techniques.

 

Another book that also contains intriguing lithographic works depicting island living is “The Malay Archipelago” (1869) by Alfred Russel Wallace. It is a classic work on the flora and fauna of the Indonesian archipelago which was made during Wallace’s eight-year expedition from 1854 to 1862 in these islands. One of my favorite lithographic series is found in the book “The Landscape of Java·s Album .. by Junghuhn. Born in Germany, he was a naturalist and researcher of Java from the perspective of science· geology and volcanology. His work features a series of exotic and unique illustrations of mountains on the island.

 

The only remarkable indigenous work is the black-and-white lithograph by Raden Sarief Bastaman Saleh titled “A Dramatic Scene of Tiger and Lions Fighting Over A Dead Horse” (1826-1874). Back in January 2023, Raden Saleh’s  “Perburuan Banteng” painting was purchased by an anonymous buyer for a hammer price of 7.2 million euros at an art auction In France. This makes it the most expensive Indonesian artwork with a total value of Rp 146 billion.

 

It is recorded in the book “Lexicon Indonesian Artist” that between the years 1600 and 1950, there were 3,000 artists from outside this archipelago who produced works about Indonesia. This is evidence that the richness and natural beauty, as well as the cultural diversity of this land, have attracted numerous writers, artists. researchers, and scientists from around the world lo visit and create art.

 

Through this exhibition, we urge visitors to directly observe the art of printmaking on paper. showcasing various techniques including relief printing such as woodcut. engraving. etching, lithography, and chromolithography. There will be dozens of illustrated books and newspapers from various countries, particularly from European nations such as France, the Netherlands. England. Belgium, Italy. and Switzerland. These works are not only highly artistic achievements produced by European explorers, but they are also significant in contributing to this nation’s history and development of modern art.

 

Ignatius Hermawan Tanzil
dia.lo.gue