Behind the Sculptures of Prominent Figures

The name Yusman is familiar among Indonesian artists. He is famous for his sculptures of historical figures and monuments in many places in Indonesia.

KOMPAS/KORNELIS KEWA AMA

Yusman

Entering Yusman’s studio in Tirto Nirmolo hamlet, Kasihan district, Bantul, Yogyakarta, on Thursday (21/11/2019), felt like entering a sculpture realm. At the gate of the 2,000-square-meter studio stands the sculptures of Garuda and Gen. Sudirman. In the hallway leading to the studio, a number of statues and awards are also displayed. There are also hundreds of statues of other Indonesian historical figures by Yusman. The statues have a lifelike appearance.

That day, Yusman and his assistant were busy with orders for sculptures from several regions. His studio gets many orders, but Yusman claims he has more reasons than profit to make sculptures.

"I am interested in making sculptures, dioramas and historical reliefs of this nation because historical truth has not been fully revealed. Historical truths that have been revealed at this time are only 20 percent; the rest needs to be explored again. I try to dig through the works of art about the truth even though it is not revealed clearly," said Yusman.

During his 26 years as an artist, Yusman has made many statues, including the statues of six presidents and six state monuments on Indonesian borders. He has also made sculptures of Prince Diponegoro and President Sukarno as well as the Liberation of West Irian Monument, the Monument of Struggle at the Indonesian Military (TNI) Headquarters in Cilangkap, the "Fly, Fight and Win" Monument in Madiun, the Lubang Buaya Monument and a statue depicting the cruelty of Westerling.

I am interested in making sculptures, dioramas and historical reliefs of this nation because historical truth has not been fully revealed.

Imagination

Yusman explained that making historical statues was not easy. Not only must an artist have to have aesthetic expertise in sculpture, but he must also understand history. In making a sculpture, he reads a lot of literature, seeks peer opinion, reads documentation, learns the background of events and about the character of historical practitioners and analyzes with imagination and intuition. The problem is that historical documentation in Indonesia is very limited. This is the biggest obstacle that Yusman faces. He often struggles to find original documents related to a figure or event for a sculpture he intends to create.

"The skulls of Javanese people are different from those of Medan people. Papuan skulls are different from Balinese ones. It is most difficult to get family photos," Yusman said.

Once all of the documentation has been found and studied, Yusman\'s next task is to make a sculpture with curves, height, look and shape of faces, hair and temperament of the heroes or historical figures that are in line with the original character.

With his imagination and vast experience, Yusman has managed to conquer various challenges to make historical sculptures. This is apparent in the many important statues he has made. Yusman, who has held 42 sculpture exhibitions, said it usually took one to three months to make a statue or relief, depending on the type of sculpture and the material used.

KOMPAS/KORNELIS KEWA AMA

Yusman

Complaint

Yusman began accepting orders for statues in 1993, when he followed senior students and lecturers at ISI Yogyakarta.

As an artist, Yusman focuses on detail. With the power of imagination and deep intuition, he works as if applying real facial skin with veins on the sculptures he creates. He has received only one complaint during his career.

At that time, he was asked to make a statue of President Soeharto. Yusman relied on his assistant in some of the sculpture-making process. After the statue was finished, one of Soeharto\'s family members complained that the face of the statue was too stern and did not reflect Soeharto\'s gentle and humble nature.

Yusman fixed the face of the statue within five minutes in front of members of the Cendana Family. After that he decided to work on statues of prominent figures without assistance.

I want to emphasize that the Unitary State of Indonesia is nonnegotiable.

In 2010, Yusman was called by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and asked to make a number of statues, including the monument of the struggle of the great commander Gen. Sudirman in Nawangan, Pacitan, East Java. He was also asked to work on the statues of six former presidents, including Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself. The statues are on display at the Balai Kirti Museum at the Bogor Presidential Palace.

In addition, he made six monuments that now stand in border areas. These are the Independence Heroes Monument, the Garuda Monument and the Pancasila Monument.

"I am very happy to make monuments at borders. Through these works, I want to emphasize that the Unitary State of Indonesia is nonnegotiable," Yusman said.

Yusman

Born: Pasaman, West Sumatra, 12 November 1964

Wife: Murti Yuni Arnawati

Children: Rizki (22), Deva (20), Intan (18) and Salma (10)

Education: Bachelor\'s degree from the Indonesia Arts Institute of Yogyakarta.