Ahmad Sadali

Ajip Rosidi, acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, Indonesia

Realism dominated the discussion of the visual arts in Indonesia during the heroic nationalist period of the 1950s and 60s, but a group of artists ran counter to this discourse, exploring lines of high international modernism. Among these artists was Ahmad Sadali, a muralist, designer and academic, a true pioneer of his generation, respected for his understanding of genre and medium and his leadership within the counter-cultural movement of abstract art in Indonesia. He was born in West Java and studied at the Bandung Institute of Technology where he would later return to as a professor. He also received the National Art Award from the government in 1972 and his works are widely considered as important additions to the country’s modern art history.

Sadali found his inspiration in the natural landscape around him as well as a personal connection to religion. The style of the “Bandung” school of artists is one concerned with the expression of spirituality and Sadali’s art consequently allowed him to embrace his spiritual identity and mediate human experience with the natural world. Brushwork of illuminated gold is a signature motif in Sadali’s paintings and is used to represent the sun and spiritual enlightenment. His titles were literal descriptions of the subject matter of the painting and as shown by multiple pieces in his oeuvre, there is a repetitive focus on gold and nature, namely Bakij bersisa emas dengan latar putih (gold remnants on a beam against white background).

In the present piece, Gunungan dengan ayat dan kepingan emas, which translates to “the cosmic mountain with verse and fragments of gold”, Sadali can be seen to have featured both his common motifs of natural imagery as well as the incorporation of gold. The green hue he employs at the core of this mountain echoes the color of bronze patinas found in Neolithic metal, allowing Sadali to hark back on ancient times, while the gold fragments pertain to the ultimate attainment of purity. While the mountain does not bear a detailed similarity to Gunungan, The Beginning and The End – another piece featuring a mountain – Sadali uses basic geometric shapes to suggest its large pyramidal shape. Its summit is defined by the use of gold in a triangular form and contains more gold pieces along the side and in the bottom section of the mountain. Sadali’s son, Ravi Ahmad Salim, stated that his father’s work involved values of life in the making, only being called abstract due to the technical aspects of the piece. In terms of Gunungan dengan Ayat dan Kepingan Emas, this suggests that spirituality, much like the omnipresence of sunlight, permeates mountains, the most seemingly solid of natural forms, even contributing to its strength.

Upon receiving a scholarship to study at the Department of Fine Art in the State University of Iowa and the Art Student League in New York, Sadali gained education and insight into the abstract art genre that he brought back to Indonesia with him and consequently informed his work. Stylistically, Sadali is known for his use of unusual shapes and bright colours, combining several contrasting elements in his paintings but creating a unified visual sensation. He was known for creating balanced compositions where everything was made proportionally, with nothing extreme. Despite the overarching calmness of his work, Sadali managed to express deep emotion, resonating with the audience – this success was similar to a renowned pioneer of colour field painting: Mark Rothko. Much like the Bandung School of Art’s approach to abstraction as spiritual expression, Rothko’s signature composition of richly coloured squares filling large canvases served to evoke “the sublime”. An example of this is No. 14, 1960, a piece that is defiantly simple but is intended to speak to the viewer on a metaphysical level.

Gunungan dengan ayat dan kepingan emas emulates the key idea of color field painting alongside abstract expressionism; it embodies Sadali’s personal style that does away with the suggestion of illustration and uses blocks of colour and form to provide a meditative space to investigate spirituality. Like Rothko’s No.14, 1960, the work at hand consists of a balanced, simple composition, with the mountain as the central shape, defined by negative space. The prominent colours are a turquoise blue and a rusted orange, directly complementary and instrumental in creating a harmonious atmosphere. While the basic triangular shape of the mountain is fairly straightforward, Sadali fragments its form into three distinct segments: the peak, middle, and base. The peak and middle convey the expected density of a mountain but the base has been broken up into smaller pieces, lightening the weight of the shape and contrasting the solidity of the background. The piece conveys a strong sense of unity and showcases how Sadali’s keen understanding of the abstract art genre has influenced his work.

Gunungan dengan ayat dan kepingan emas is a piece that encapsulates technical mastery and contextual detail. It is a prime example of abstract expressionism, rendered unique by the artist’s cultural background and consequent sources of inspiration. Visually, it maintains a serene yet engaging effect, balanced but consisting of bright colours and the dynamic element of gold. It also espouses two core values of the artist: appreciation of nature and a spiritual curiosity, making it a deeply personal and recognisable piece in Sadali’s oeuvre.