Lucia Hartini "Srikandi"

a) Describe the use of space, colour and brushwork.

The space in this painting is very dominated by the female character and the brick walls. The left side of the brick wall in the painting is a straight, slanted line that runs across the painting, as though it divides the foreground, consisting of the female character and the brick walls, from the background, consisting of the cloud-filled sky and the moon. Also, the brick walls seem to extend further beyond the painting’s boundaries, hence the space displayed in the painting appears to be rather confined, thus increasing the viewer’s attention on the female character. The dominance of the female character in the foreground also indicates the amount of emphasis Lucia Hartini has placed on her. This could be because Lucia Hartini sees herself as this resilient and sturdy character, which was actually inspired by Srikandi (a brave and bold female figure in a Javanese shadow puppet).
Where the straight line of bricks divide the painting, a strong contrast, between the vast freedom in the sky and the small, constricted space between the bricks walls, is created. The character, however, is located in the constricting space between the brick walls, which could suggest that Lucia Hartini feels very restricted in real life due to her social status. Beyond the thin, straight wall of bricks, there seems to be a small piece of sky in the painting. This small portion of the sky could represent the little freedom she owns in actual fact.
The colours used in this painting are mainly orangey-brick red and deep blue. These two colours are contrasting, and when placed side by side, they compliment each other and create a striking effect, catching the eye of the viewer easily. Red-orange tends to portray aggression and thirst for action, and suggests that Lucia Hartini's artistic capabilities could be supressed in real life. The deep blue dress worn by the female character compliments her strong stance with her hands akimbo, and surrounds her with an aura of power. Blue was also a colour worn by women's armies of the past who had the duty of protecting the Sultans of feudal Central Java, so Lucia Hartini may have intended to portray this person or herself as a brave female warrior. Deep blue against the red-orange, again, places more emphasis on the female character. The colour of the female character's skin is a tanned brown and appears to be glowing with energy and might. This portrays the female character as a strong person.
The colours in the background are the opposite of the colours used in the foreground as they are softer and less eye-catching. The light blue brings out the weightlessness of the clouds, and the pale yellow light softens the whole image altogether. The combination of light blue and pale yellow successfully depicts the vastness of the azure sky, exuding the idea of freedom. The gentle addition of the moon in the sky adds on to the calming effect, imitating the tranquility one would feel when gazing at the moon in real life.
Lucia Hartini's brushwork is similar to that of Surrealist Salvador Dali's in the sense that their brushstrokes are both exceptionally well-blended despite the fact that the details are meticulously added. As a result, they both create very realistic-looking images of the fictional world they create in their paintings. In this painting, there is a very obvious contrast between the fluidity of the dress and the hardness of the brick walls, no doubt done by her remarkable brushwork. Lucia Hartini's brushwork has conveyed her intention to contrast the flexibility of the dress and the brick walls. Her refined brushstrokes enable the viewer to see every crease on the dress and every crack on the wall, reinforcing the fact that the brick wall is unable to create the same flowing effect as the dress. This could represent how Lucia Hartini herself, in real life, has to compromise herself in order to deal with the criticism of the male-dominated society.


b) Comment on the influences behind this work.

The most obvious influence behind this work is Srikandi, because that is the title of this artwork itself. Srikandi is a Javanese shadow puppet of the Mahabharata epic, and is a brave and bold female character who projects a daring, strong and powerful image. She is the archetypical "Warrior Woman" of the Southeast Asian legend. Inspired by this, and as a result of her environment, Lucia Hartini has portrayed herself as Srikandi in this painting as the face of the female character very much resembles her own face in real life.
Lucia Hartini was born as a Catholic in a predominantly Muslim environment. The Muslim culture believes that women were born to serve men, and thus brings about gender discrimination within the Indonesian society. Women were only expected to cook and have children. This stereotypical expectation of the society may be diminished in the modern countries, but it still exists in the Indonesian world. Lucia Hartini, who chose to study art and pursure a career as an artist, has become a target of scrutiny for the critical society.
During the early years of her career, she hardly drew any human figures in her artworks, let alone a female character that resembles herself (like in Srikandi). It shows that she has come a long way from being a fearful victim of domestic violence to the secure, self-assured woman she is today.
Srikandi was an artwork marked the start of her newfound self-confidence. From the late 1970s up until she painted Srikandi, Lucia Hartini mainly painted female figures that were weak and vulnerable, just like what the society expects women to be like. However, over time, through her own experience, she decided that women should represent themselves as capable equals of men.
Living in an environment where straightforward methods of expressing herself were unacceptable caused her artworks to be filled with symbolism. These symbols help her to convey her innermost emotions subtly, allowing her to avoid the criticsm of the society. In Srikandi, Lucia Hartini has depicted how close she is to breaking free from the prison of tradition, represented by the cracked brick walls. She has conveyed her yearning for freedom through the serene sky. She has showed the viewers how strong she has become by portraying herself as the female warrior, Srikandi. Lastly, the female character in the painting is daringly looking back at many disembodied eyes. These disembodied eyes represent the society's scrutinizing eyes, which, to Hartini, felt like they followed her wherever she went and always wanted to watch her business.
In her previous work, Spying Eyes (1989), she had also used disembodied eyes, but those disembodied eyes overpowered the female character in Spying Eyes (1989), leaving her in a vulnerable foetal position. However, in Srikandi, she is staunchly staring right back at all the eyes, which demonstrates how she courageously fights for her own footing in that society. Srikandi is a work that sums up how Lucia Hartini became a confident and strong woman.

Done On: 29 March 2011