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'Golden Women': Sudigdo's stories of women
Artist Sudigdo uses his paintings to express his concerns about social issues.
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Bullying (Sudigdo/File)
V
isual images of women’s sad eyes or joyous smile in Sudigdo’s latest paintings convey their feelings and messages without any words, but still, they make an emotional impact.
“I always paint female figures as subjects rather than objects. Painting women as objects means their existence is solely to give pleasure to the viewers; I give the women in my paintings the ‘power’ to tell their own stories through their poses and facial expressions,” said the artist.
“The paintings are done in the modern realism style, as one does not have to be an art connoisseur to savor the beauty of realistic paintings, and I believe that realism can convey messages more effectively.”
Golden Women, which features 20 paintings, is Sudigdo’s 15th solo painting exhibition.
Sudigdo believes women are as valuable as gold; hence the title.
“Women are very valuable to their families and their communities,” he said, adding that his mother, wife and daughter are the “golden women” in his life.
He believes women can get involved in the arts, social causes, the economy and politics, and be successful in their chosen fields.
Among his 20 paintings on display, a series portrays three inspirational, successful Indonesian women, namely Martha Tilaar, Raisis Arifin Panigoro and Kartini Basuki.
Sudigdo’s thought-provoking images are rich in symbolism, portraying the reality of women’s lives and depicting various facial expressions, from happiness to bone-deep sadness and desperation. Each painting has a story to tell.
Dark Mirror features two almost identical women; the one in the mirror looks slightly less attractive. This painting portrays the reality of how women have a lesser view of themselves and are blinded by their own deep sense of insecurity, unable to see themselves as good, worthy and loveable.
In “Bullying”, Sudigdo voices his concern about the behavior of so-called modern women who believe that all things traditional have become obsolete and irrelevant, and who think they are better than other people, while ignoring the fact that being modern does not mean they are given carte blanche to bully other women who dressed differently, or people who are considered “peculiar.”
“Bullying” depicts a woman in traditional Javanese attire with an expression of silent desperation on her face, as other women who wear modern clothes are laughing at her for “being different.”
“I am not against modernity. However, while we embrace modernity, it is important to be in touch with our cultural roots as well. Thus, I painted one of the women in traditional attire,” Sudigdo explained.
Meanwhile, some men might despise the visually attractive painting titled “Another Throne,” which depicts a woman sitting on a chair, her feet resting on top of a King chess piece, which symbolizes the male species.
This painting conveys the message that a woman could overpower or take advantage of a man, including a king; she could become a powerful ruler and an influential figure in politics who impacts people’s lives. The female figure on the chair has a very smug look on her face, which indicates that she is very pleased with the power that she holds over others.
Rich in symbolism, A Golden Smile is laden with quiet serenity, depicting old woman who wears a colorful dress, sitting against a plain red wall and smiling contentedly. The plain wall symbolizes her “emptiness” as she lives alone, while the color red signifies warmth and optimism. The colorful dress represents her colorful life.
Despite the “emptiness,” this woman shows the feeling of living a happy life. The contented smile on her lovely face says it all; that true happiness lies within yourself, it does not come from others.
Sudigdo’s works are not only visually appealing, his paintings also tell stories, convey messages through the women’s poses and facial expressions, as well as through symbolism. Viewers may agree or disagree with his opinions, yet his depiction of women will surely provide much food for thought.
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Golden Women
by Sudigdo runs until Aug. 31
at Rumah Jawa Gallery,
Kemang Timur Raya #99,
phone (62 21) 718 0989. sudigdo.com
