Abdul Djalil Pirous

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Abdul Djalil Pirous
A.D. Pirous.jpg
Born(1932-03-11)11 March 1932
Died16 April 2024(2024-04-16) (aged 92)
Alma mater
  • Seni Rupa ITB (1964)
  • Rochester Institute of Technology, NY, US (1969)
Occupation(s)Painter, Lecturer
Known forAbstract Art, Arabic Calligraphy
Spouse Erna Garnasih Pirous
Children3

Prof. Emeritus Drs. Abdul Djalil Pirous (March 11, 1932 - April 16, 2024), known as A.D. Pirous, was an Indonesian fine arts artist and lecturer. He was a pioneer in graphic design education at the Fine Arts Institute of Technology in Bandung, and the founder of an art and design studio called Decenta (1973–1983). A.D. Pirous was married to Erna Garnasih Pirous, and the couple have three children.

Contents

He was one of the leading modern Abstract artists in Indonesia. Together with Ahmad Sadali and Umi Dachlan, he was an integral part of The Bandung School from the 1960s onwards. He pioneered the use of Arabic religious calligraphy and Acehnese ethnic ornaments in modern Indonesian art, and was particularly noted for the spiritual nature of his work. [1]

Life

Abdul Djalil Pirous, known as A.D. Pirous, was born in Meulaboh, Aceh. His birth name was Abdul Djalil Syaifuddin, a name given to him by a religious teacher who boarded with the family. His father was Mauna 'Pirous' Noor Mohamad, of Gujerati descent and his mother was Hamidah, from Meulaboh. Pirous' early life experience was during the late Dutch colonial period and the Japanese occupation of Indonesia. At the end of World War II he went to Medan for his education. [2]

In 1964, he completed his education at the Department of Fine Arts, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), where he was a student of Ries Mulder, the influential Dutch painter and lecturer. [1] Thereafter, he continued his studies in printmaking and graphic design at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester New York, United States (1969).

Between 1964 and 2002, he worked at the FDSR-ITB, the Fine Arts and Design Faculty of the ITB-Bandung. He served as the first Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design ITB (1984-1990), and was inaugurated as a professor at ITB in 1994. [3]

A.D. Pirous is married to Ernah Garmasih Pirous, an accomplished painter herself. Erna studied at the ITB as well as in France, and she belongs to the second generation of Indonesian modern women artists. A.D. and Erna Pirous have three children, Mida Meutia, Iwan Meulia, and Raihan Muerila. [4]

The couple have lived in Bandung since their marriage. In 1994 Pirous founded the gallery Serambi Pirous. They built a new larger home in Bandung 2003, and moved the "Serambi Pirous" to there in 2017. [5] [6]

Work

Pirous began to work as an artist when he was still in Medan, making cartoons, movie posters and portraits to help pay for his education. In 1953 he saw an exhibition in Medan of Indonesia's leading modern artists, and this inspired him to take up art as a career. In 1955 he moved to Bandung to study art at ITB. [2] In Bandung, Pirous joined the artists' collective Sanggar Seniman, and had his first work exhibited with this group in 1960. By the 1970s, he was exhibiting regularly nationally and internationally. His has had five solo exhibitions, including: Retrospective Exhibition I for works 1960–1985, at the Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta in 1985 and Retrospective II for works from 1985 to 2002, at the Indonesian National Gallery, Jakarta in 2002.

His painting style is easily recognisable as the textures and colours are very elaborate and detailed. He paints by coating the colours with alabaster paste and a palette knife. [7]

Since the early 21st Century, a growing international interest in Indonesian modern and abstract art has brought painters such as A.D. Pirous, Ahmad Sadali, Fadjar Sidik, Popo Iskandar and Umi Dachlan to the international art market. [8]

Islamic calligraphy

Of the various topics that Pirous discusses in his work other than natural objects, landscapes, daily life, animal figures, abstracts and others, calligraphy works that take up Pirous's time, energy and thoughts. For the first time since the birth of Pirous's etching work featuring Arabic calligraphy, Surah Al-Ikhlas: Pure Faith (1970), the term 'calligraphy' 'Islam' in Indonesia (two terms that stand alone and accompany 'art' and 'modern' painting) attached to Pirous.

Pirous started his Islamic calligraphy work when he saw the exhibition of ceramic fragments, ancient Islamic manuscripts, Al-Qur'an Calligraphy and miniature paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States in 1970. Seeing these objects reminded Pirous of his hometown in Aceh. This was a revelation that his own traditions could serve as the basis of his art, alongside the art of the West that he had studied under Mulder. [2] Working with Ahmad Sadali and Umi Dachlan, Pirous emphasised a strong Indonesian and religious component in the Abstract Art that was taught at ITB. During the 1950s, the Art Faculty at ITB had been criticised as a "laboratory of the West", but this new development demonstrated that the East/West dichotomy was not really relevant to their art. [9]

Architecture

Bank Indonesia building in Padang. Abdul Djalil Pirous was involved in working on the decorations and ornaments. Gedung BI Padang dan Jalan Sudirman Padang.jpg
Bank Indonesia building in Padang. Abdul Djalil Pirous was involved in working on the decorations and ornaments.

Pirous designed the ornamentation for the building of the Bank Indonesia in Padang, among other architectural projects.

Decenta Design Studio

In 1973, A.D. Pirous founded the Decenta Design Studio, an abbreviation from Design Center Association together with Adriaan Palar, T. Sutanto and G. Sidharta. The members of the design bureau were known to use silkscreen as a medium for the expansion of Indonesian graphic arts. This group was an extension of their first joint work from 1971, a folio of 18 screenprint from leading artists at the ITB published under the title Grup 18. [10] They were quite intensive in experimenting with screen printing or screen printing techniques, yet studio Decenta closed in 1983. [11]

Pirous is one of Indonesia's leading painters, and his paintings are displayed in the collection of the National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta, including the painting "The Roof of Heaven and Earth is Expansive" from 1990. [12]

Exhibitions

A.D. Pirous' works have been exhibited in hundreds of national and international exhibitions. [13]

Solo Exhibitions:

Group Exhibitions:

Awards

Pirous received numerous awards for his achievements as an artist and humanist: [17]

● Best Print at the Art Show Naples, New York, United States of America (1970)
● Best Painting at the Exhibition Biennale I Arts Council Jakarta (1974)
● Best Painting at the Exhibition Biennale II Arts Council Jakarta (1976)
● Bronce Medal of the Foreign Ministry, Republic Korea (1984)
● Art Award by the Minister of Education and Culture (1985)
Satyalancana Medal for cultural achievements by the President of the Republic of Indonesia (2002) [18]
● Habibie Award for Cultural Studies (2015) [3]

He has been appointed several times as head of the delegation, member of the jury, and curator of international art exhibitions, representing Indonesia.

Death

A.D. Pirous passed away on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at Borromeus Hospital in Bandung. The funeral was held at Serambi Pirous, Jl. Bukit Pakar Timur II no. 111, Bandung.

Bibliography

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References

  1. 1 2 Artist: A.D. Pirous. Biodata - National Gallery Of Indonesia
  2. 1 2 3 Picturing Islam: Art and Ethics in a Mulsim Lifeworld. by Kenneth M. George (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010) ISBN   9781405129589
  3. 1 2 Biodata of Abdul Djalil Pirous, published by ITB Bandung
  4. Kunjungan Ramadhan ke AD Pirous: Kasab Meulaboh, Ibunda, dan Ikon Etnis (III). by Kupi Beungoh, 20 April 2021, Serambinews
  5. Serambi Pirous by Reni Sudarmadi, 25 Okt. 2021 in asrinesia: Arsitektur, Budaya, Seni
  6. Website Serambi Pirous
  7. A.D Pirous Spiritual Calligraphy. Jakarta: PT Jakarta Land. 2016. p. 7.
  8. The Times They are A-Changing. Deborah Iskandar in: Indonesia Digest, 22. August 2017.
  9. Reframing Modernism: Painting from Southeast Asia, Europe and Beyond. edited by Low Sze Wee, Horikawa Lisa, Phoebe Scott. National Gallery of Singapore, Oct. 2016, p. 231 ISBN   978-9810995614
  10. Group 18 1971, SIDHartA Auctioneer, 2020
  11. Periode Decenta Seni Grafis Indonesia Di Dia.Lo.Gue, Kemang, Jakarta. Ninin Rahayu Sari, 30. January 2018. Home.co.id Archived 2021-11-22 at the Wayback Machine
  12. Beratapan Langit dan Bumi Amparan (A.D. Pirous - 1990)
  13. Biography A.D. Pirous by artsociates, undated
  14. Cantik dan Membius, Seni Lukis Kaligrafi Modern Karya A.D Pirous. Stanley Dirgapradja in fimela, 21.March 2016
  15. A.D. Pirous: The Modernist Series #1 "Suaka", 21 May - 2 July 2022
  16. Menyigi Masa. Exhibition 10-28. Oktober 2018, National Gallery, Indonesia
  17. Simfoni Nusantara, Katalog Pameran 9 Nov. - 23. Nov. 1994, Jakarta, Indonesia
  18. Pirous, A.D. (2003). Melukis itu Menulis. Bandung: Penerbit ITB ISBN   978-9799299482

Monographs

General Art Literature

Videography and Internet