SKETCHES AS STAND-ALONE PIECES

TAKE A GLIMPSE INTO DHAR CEDHAR’S WORLD–HIS DIRECTION IN ART, THE VISION THAT BUILDS HIS ART, AND THE PROCESS OF MAKING BEAUTIFUL ARTWORKS.

Text SALSABILA ANDIKA PUTRI Photos courtesy of DHAR CEDHAR

The Semarang-born artist, Dhar Cedhar, recently put up his artwork in the Coffee in Culture Heritage Exhibition part 2. The artist has long joined the Coffee Painter Indonesia (CPI) community, and in the exhibition, he presented his artwork “Festival Hudoq.” The Coffee in Culture Heritage exhibition was decided to be held as an annual event but was interrupted due to the pandemic. It is hoped that CPI as a community could educate people to be more open to the diversity of our culture. In addition to today’s topic, CPI addresses other issues, such as the national heroes theme recently noticed in the Museum Basoeki Abdullah.

Meanwhile, as an artist, Dhar Cedhar has a bright perspective towards his own style and vision for arts. He has a tendency towards art styles in the form of sketching/sketching. When asked why he likes to sketch, Dhar Cedhar claimed that In the fine arts, sketching is regarded as the most basic form of art and is also present as the foundation of all visual arts. As it progresses, the sketch becomes a finished, stand-alone piece of art rather than a study or design for a future project. It could be a piece of art comparable to a painting or other types of art.

“This serves as the setting for my sketches. But, it is also a study to improve abilities and a way to record an intriguing object or incident that happened suddenly. I frequently include brief annotations to full sketches to attest to what I perceive.” As it is visible, Cedar gave some small notes in his sketches–making the onlookers feel his sincerity’s warmness in them.

The local artist also explores all kinds of styles for making great art. As well as the media he used, he often experimented with various painting mediums, including common ones like watercolor, oil color, and acrylic, as well as less conventional ones like coffee (coffee grounds). DHar Cedhar even combined the two media in one painting or drawing. For this, he is hoping that this exploration of arts will be able to keep his desire to keep making great pieces.

When asked what’s the most crucial thing in creating art, Dhar Cedhar explained the importance of Content. Content communicates an artwork concept to the general population. This idea provides the creative inspiration for a piece of art, which depicts or articulates the attitudes, emotions, thoughts, and reactions of the painter. Technical and conceptual requirements, in Dhar Cedhar’s opinion, must be compatible with each other.

Regarding his new project, Dhar Cedhar revealed that he has four paintings (oil on canvas) that have yet to be finished. Meanwhile, on March 11-12, he joined

SKETCHWALK CILIWUNG, Ciliwung

Rhapsody at Bogor, for his sketching project. It is said that the collaboration with the sketch community, including Bogor Sketchers and Indonesia’s Sketchers, led to the creation of this activity.

Diving more into his sketch community, Indonesia’s Sketchers (IS), Dhar Cedhar shares that the international sketching group was established in Jakarta in 2009. IS attempts to connect stories and experiences through drawings and adheres to the We Draw What We Witness credo. Atit Dwi Indarty, a Bekasi-based hobbyist artist, and I, Usk’s reporter at the time, founded the publication. With its branches in numerous cities and nations worldwide, the movement continues to grow and create networks. Urban Sketcher Indonesia was established and has since expanded.

Speaking about young artists’ spirit and talents, Dhar Chedar claimed that artists must always stay current with all new advances. The ability of technological advancements to transform conventional painting techniques into wholly new ones might cause conflict among artists.

“It is important to recognize that this transformation is a dynamic evolution in harmony with the times and that we should handle this dispute sensibly rather than apathetically. The crucial phrase is “learn and learn,” so keep up your exploration,” the idea of Dhar Cedhar built his signature of art within his sketches.