Simon was born in Jogjakarta in year 1970. He lived and owned a house in Semarang. But it has been two years since he reside in Jakarta, due to mutation from work, and is now the Marketing Director of PT Wahana Ottomitra Multiartha Tbk. On an afternoon at his place located in the Bukit Gading Mediterania estate of North Jakarta, he told of the beginning of his passion for fine-arts, around the year 1983. The interest came upon as he was familiarized to it by his cousin, Biantoro Santoso (establisher of the Nadi Gallery).
It was in 1994 that he first bought an artwork of decorative pattern painting by Kriyono. “I just bought whatever Biantoro bought, because I was still lacking on information regarding paintings. The orientation back then was to beautify the house. Kriyono’s piece at the time was adequate for the purpose. Afterwards I bought Faisal’s work, and then Nasirun’s expressive piece”.
Simon emphasized that since the beginning he is never fond of the ure realist style painting art with photographic characteristics. “I did own a realist painting, but I don’t know where it is anymore. Individually, in my opinion, realist works are less enigmatic, in a sense that you can only enjoy it for a one time view. We can easily stop liking it and get bored. For a personal tendency, I prefer abstract arts. If I have to make a choice, it would definitely be abstracts.
Artworks keep on being created, following the civilization progress. Just a while back, there are more artworks that involve various tools as the means of viewing it. For instance there are those that use the binoculars, microscope, or UV light. There are also the ones that borrow the technique of optical illusion, allowing the painting to come up with different object impressions, seen from different angles and distances. For example, when viewed from a distance of 10 meters, what is seen is a figure of the A character. But from a close distance, it shows a figure of B character. Confronted with such painting, Simon comments;
“I dislike artworks that involve illusions, to then leading to assumptions, with acrobatic play inside. Like when you view it from the left, certain character appears, but from the other side, it turns to a different character. Moreover when you give a beam of neon, painting A shows, and as the UV light hits, the painting shifts it colors and objects. I do not enjoy those kinds. For me, there’s no significance in it. If paintings are stones, that kind is the Cat’s Eye which changes it color when shifted. For me that is no fun. I can say those types doesn’t matter. They are not amusing, no sense of intelligence, just a comic painting. I laugh at it. It’s not a satire if I laugh at it, right? But do keep in mind that once again, this is not about the value or quality, but about the taste”.
It is inevitable that painting artworks have been articles of investments. Especially ever since the transaction at Sotheby’s auction house for the old master’s pieces reached up to astonishing purchase rates. In Indonesia, many artists express rather pinching statements, saying that there are no genuine collectors. They usually invest in the long run.
According to Simon, investments are all about luck. There are of course paintings that can be made investments, but there are works those are unpredictable to qualify as investments or not. When purchasing artworks, one understands completely what his purpose is. Buying the works of Sudjana Kerton, Affandi, Sudjojono, can be called investing. But taking in the pieces of Handiwirman of abstracts, or those by Mella Djarsma, is far from making investments.
“The collector society of Indonesia is not too friendly to abstract artworks. When I buy a Mella, I understand that it won’t be beneficial in the short run. When I purchase an abstract painting, while at the same time many collector are enthusiastic on abstracts, and Mella Djarsma’s works are amongst those that are of interest, then the retail rate goes up, it should then be named law of causes.
I disbelieve anyone who has purchased Mella Djarsma’s abstracts call it investing. It must be fondness. People would frown if they hear Mella’s works are bought for investments. The point is I know very well which items those I bought out of passion, and those I bought for investments purpose. I am well knowledgeable on distinguishing them.”
Why dows Simon go crazy over Handiwirman Saputra’s artworks?
“I own no techniques in assessing aesthetics, it is all purely from the feel. I think there are two necessary matters in appreciating artworks. First of course, is the analysis that comes from the mind. Second is the feel that evolves from taste. Analysis is learnable. But the feel that affects sensitivity in appreciating masterpieces is a gift. My most snobbish sentence is, you could say I have the gift in “feeling” an artwork. The moment I laid eyes on Handiwirman’s work back in 1999, I had the good feel. I didn’t have to identify and learn to know his work was good. Once I saw it, it just felt good. While as for me, learning is when I see the works of Fang Li Jun, for example, when people are claiming that those are great works, I questioned, from what aspects? It is true that the realist skill of Fang Li Jun is great, but where is the artistic element? It is different when I see the works by Handiwirman or Joseph Beuys, no learning there. Maybe I have the aesthetics sensitivity in capturing the artistic values in works by Joseph and Handiwirman,” he elaborated.
Aside from sensitivity, Simon formulates more: “People may get bored listening to several points I make in viewing artworks. Firstly, artworks are born by the artists with verily strong technical capability. Secondly, they own the competence in creating aesthetics in accordance with themselves thus the characteristics or identities are born within their masterpieces. Third, they are highly creative. Fourth, the artists must be intelligent persons. Five, they must have profound feel,” conclude Simon.
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