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THE PLASTIC ARTS OF JAVA AS DISCUSSION
By Sri Wintala Achmad

FOR society of Java knows about the life philosophy of the micro- and macro-cosmic well. Regarded from the dimension of material substance, macro-cosmic is understood as physical cosmic. Besides that micro-cosmic is understood as the spiritual-cosmic.
But considered from the dimension of immaterial substance, macro-cosmic is known as spiritual cosmic. Besides that micro-cosmic is known as physical cosmic. Caused by the spiritual cosmic does not have a limitation of both time and space. Besides that, the physical cosmic is always limited by time and space.
That study as early base (reference) is to know the essence of Java’s plastic arts well. In which, it is not just as human/creator’s reflection of physical cosmic. But essentially, the plastic arts of Java reflects more to creator’ spiritual cosmic. As assumption, that creator (a member of the society of Java) has an intuitive and spiritual power than more a physical and logical capability.
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Society of Java is known as the social. Collectivity characterized by the permissive attitude for other sides and various cultures has growth well. There is no difference of ethnic group, religion, and race. All people have to be of the same status beside Gusti Kang Murbeng Dumadi (The God the Controller of Life). The society of Java does not have an agreement for the individualism-attitude. In which privation and competition among personals obtain a full portion in reaching to the top of position and achievement.
As a member of the society of Java, plastic artists in understanding about the spirit of collectivity have not yet represented a wise attitude. The collectivity has been permitted to frame those plastic artists into the romantic collectivity and to form their personality having no militant character and good principle. This can be represented by each of their work of plastic arts.
That bad fact is strengthened by various events of the plastic arts of Java involving some artists. Their works are, such as: painting arts, sculptures, installations etc, identify creators’ character as human influenced easily by the concept and visual of West’s plastic arts. For example, surrealism, Dadaism, cubism etc, have developed quickly in the island of Java, the cultural centre of Nusantara. Event those isms have been made idols by Java’s artists as dogma.
Besides, misinterpreting for the social spirit in the society of Java, plastic artists themselves have not yet understood the substance of Java. That case is presented by their works having a physical visual. Those works reflect that the plastic artists of Java still tend for idioms, symbols, or old themes, such as: wayang (puppet), keris (wavy double-bladed dagger), adu jago (pitting cock), mbarang ledhek (hired dancer that is persistent like a singing beggar), etc.
Artists in understanding the plastic arts of Java have not yet reached its substantive level of philosophical values. The spiritual empiric experience, of course, can not be expressed physically, but it can be abstracted through the composition of colors, lines, and symbolic visuals. Besides, that abstraction must be detailed, substantive, and perfect in portraying about a nuance of Java.
Celebrating totally in the world of the plastic arts of Java up to its perfect substance, all artists’ sensitive intuition and sense of art are demanded more than their capability for thinking logically and physical technique in the process of perception, metabolism, and when expressing inspiration for visualizing works in the plastic arts of Java. Of course, the inspiration can be obtained through creators’ imaginative capability. As result, understanding for inspiration is not just as portrait or reporting. Then, processing to the inspiration must be through step of both contemplation and revision. This latest step is to reach a perfection of work.
It is conclusion. As long as the artists of Java exacerbate for their palette of intuition and sense of art in process of creative production, they can hold the process of inspiration into three steps, that is, first, they having a capability can percept and filtering the inspiration into conception. Second, they can transform the conception into the form of visualization. Third, they can relate dialogically between the conception (spirit) and visualization (physic).
Three steps of the process of creative production, for creators of the plastic arts of Java, are the keys to understand about the substance of Java’s philosophy touch by some forefathers. The lofty science known as ilmu manunggaling kawula lan Gusti (science to be firmly united between slave/micro-cosmic and God/macro-cosmic).
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In the world of the Indonesian and global plastic arts, presence of the plastic arts of Java has been assumed to be important. This is not purposed to separate Java’s artists from ones outside Java. In creating the plastic arts of Java does not focus for creators’ origin. But, works that reflects about substantive values of Java. However, it does not absolutely deny its physical visual.
Plastic arts of Java have a role to sport a critical capability of filtering for the informative influence of the plastic arts of west weakening artists’ creative process. It can sweep away as horrifying as aji sirep (the power to make a sleep for someone) having influence to return artists’ orientation from the tradition-basis and ancestors’ culture to the foreign tradition and culture. This problem should be solved skillfully. It is hoped in order that globalization shall not be bad reality to all artists of Java. In which, their fate shall be foams made an uncertain by the politics of the plastic arts of west.
Plastic arts of Java are assumed to be important. Caused by the positive idea to effort the realization and socialization of the exhibition of Java’s plastic arts is very important. Then this event can be expected as media to discover the tradition and culture of Java forgotten in the middle of modern era. The softy tradition and culture begin to be taught by no parents and be forgotten by their generation.
Expected by the idea can represent that the world of the plastic arts of Java has a role as media to socialize for some ancestors’ tradition and culture. That is in the same manner as literature of Java, art of shadow play property, classical dance, and traditional theatre. Although, a large part of modern artists claims in which the traditional arts and cultures have stood beside themselves dug tomb’s hole.
In socializing the plastic arts of Java would not just perform an exhibition. This effort needs to be performed continually into the form of other activities, such as: work shops, festivals, and competitions in the plastic arts of Java. Those activities would not be limited for the creators having certain old and just coming from Java. Those would be addressed for young participants and involve them come from various regions. As the orientation, those would not differentiate between ethnic groups, regions, and races. Caused by understanding about the substance of Java is opened for every one. What softy values of Java serve for the importance of humanism but not politics!
The concrete realization in socializing Java through media of plastic arts must be sported by various other related sides, such as: creators, institutions of traditional arts, mass media, government, and so on. Caused by the failure of crystallization between ideological role and vision from all sides shall result this effort just as a nice dream at the afternoon.
Socializing plastic arts of Java leading on the development of ancestors’ traditions and cultures should keep an intensity of interaction among various sides into one frame of ideological role and vision. It can be reached by the system of mutual cooperation. It can be expected as a success-key for developing the plastic arts of Java in the future. The successfulness is just valued by the quantitative increase of Java’s creators. Besides, it is able to improve fate in the tradition and culture of java. As the special contribution it is hoped to improve either for young generation’s mentality or for public’s.
May it happen!

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