Kasrin Endroprayono: Extracting the Essence of Stone

KOMPAS/MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Kasrin Endroprayono

Kasrin Endroprayono, 77, still remembers something his father told him when he was a boy: It takes confidence, courage and perseverance to become a stone carver. These three things are embedded in his soul so that he might faithfully extract mustakaning watu, the essence of stone.

“I used to dislike carving. Working hard looking for rocks in the river under the scorching sun, but there was no guarantee I would get paid,” Kasrin said during an interview on Oct. 19, 2018 at the Syailendra Pahat Art Studio in Prumpung Sidoharjo of Tamanagung village, Muntilan subdistrict, Magelang regency, Central Java.

His father, Wiro Dikromo, worked everyday as a stone carver, making tombstones, mortar-and-pestles and traditional stone foundations.

When he was younger, Kasrin misunderstood his father’s advice. Instead of practicing the craft of stone carving, the young Kasrin kept a few rocks in a basket made of woven bamboo. Before going to bed at night, he knocked the rocks against each other while he said his prayers. On seeing this, his father laughed and told him that, if Kasrin could discover the mustikaning watu, he could make a living, fly in the air and even cross the ocean.

Thinking over the meaning behind his father’s advice, young Kasrin was inspired to become a stone carver – not to make tombstones, mortar-and-pestles or foundations, but to carve faces out of stone. In 1958, Kasrin started making stone masks, inspired by the Penthul dan Tembem traditional theater performance in Tejowarno, Muntilan. “I was amazed, drawn in by their agility and humor. I memorized it and turned it into a stone carving,” he said.

Buddha statue

His first work was then purchased by a datuk (“grandfather”, a customary title for a Minang elder) from Sumatra who was visiting Muntilan. The datuk also commissioned Kasrin to make a carving of the Buddha\'s head.

“’Surely, you can make it because [Muntilan] is close to Borobudur. You can follow use the statues there [as models]’,” recalled Kasrin, who has three chidren.

Recalling his father’s advice to be confident, brave and diligent, Kasrin accepted the offer. His conviction prompted him to rush to Borobudur Temple on an onthel (roadster bicycle), covering a distance of about 9 kilometers from his home.

“Arriving at Borobudur, I climbed the sculptures [...], came home and searched for a stone that

was just the right size in Pabelan River,” said Kasrin, who taught himself how to carve.

However, as he was about to carve the details of the Buddha’s head into the bust, Kasrin realized he had forgotten them. So he returned to Borobudur.

“I went back and forth to Borobudur five times. I forgot the shape of his ears, which were long, the number of coils [snails] in his hair, whether the coils curled left or right, and also the somewhat faded, internal gaze in the Buddha’s eyes,” he said.

These days, it is easier for sculptors because they can use a camera to first record an object.

It was in carving the Buddha bust that Kasrin applied the three words from his father: be confident, brave and persevere in comprehending the essence of the stone. Kasrin was confident that he could finish his work in a month. He was also brave in taking on new challenges. He also worked diligently and persevered in carving the hard stone a little at a time into a valuable work.

“Perseverance is the main thing. In the face of failures and mistakes, that is experience. Experience is the best teacher,” said Kasrin.

His creativity in carving stone sculptures drew in more orders. A few of Kasrin’s sculptures have become local landmarks, including the Gadjah Mada statue in Ambarawa, a statue at the Bambu Runcing Muntilan Monument, a statue of a corporal and a paratrooper at an Army cadet academy, and a miniature of the Prambanan Temple around 3.5 meters tall that was installed in the Central Java Pavilion at Jakarta’s Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) cultural park.

In addition to fulfilling commissions from state offices and other institutions, Kasrin has also produced statues for hotels and places of worship. His works are also on display abroad, including in the Netherlands. In the country of tulips, Kasrin carved a miniature of Asia with Balinese nuances. In Germany, he carved Ramayana reliefs.

“That’s when I understood my father’s advice about mustikaning watu. I could fly to Europe, cross [the waters] to Bali and Sumatra, I made a living from stone,” said Kasrin.

Imprisoned

Despite his success, life was not necessarily kind to Kasrin. He also experienced tragedy. During the political commotion surrounding the Sept. 30, 1965 incident, Kasrin was imprisoned for a year in Magelang because of a sculpture he had made. Kasrin, who neither knew of nor participated in youth groups affiliated with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), was commissioned to create three 4-meter statues from paper to welcome the symbolic PKI convoy that traveled from Bali to Jakarta.

“I was hired and paid to make three statues of a soldier, a peasant and a laborer. The statue of the farmer carries a sickle and the statue of the laborer carries a hammer. Together, they become the hammer-and-sickle. I didn’t know about the issue. It was a political issue. Unfortunately, I took the risk,” Kasrin said.

Eventually, he was sent to prison. However, despite his imprisonment, Kasrin did not allow his

creativity to die. He still carved stones and made unique ashtrays that he sold to the prison guards.

“In prison, I squatted and extracted stone from the floor, and with rough nails, I carved it into a frog-shaped ashtray,” Kasrin said, chuckling at the memory.

His works have given Kasrin renown as one of the pioneers of stone sculpture and reliefs in the Prumpung area, along with his cousin, Djajaprana. Djajaprana is the son of Salim Djajapawiro, the younger brother of Wiro Dikromo, Kasrin’s father. Kasrin said that when he was a teenager, Prumpung was quiet and surrounded by bamboo forests. They found the stones for carving on Mount Merapi and transported them using a cart.

At his advanced age, Kasrin is still vibrant and continues to make sculptures. While speaking about Borobudur Temple, Kasrin paused to take a breath and then continued, saying that Borobudur Temple and Mount Merapi were part of an inseparable cosmos. For Kasrin, Mount Merapi, Muntilan and Borobudur Temple form a ley line. Mount Merapi is the source of raw materials for stone sculptures; Borobudur is the source of inspiration. The two poles join at Prumpung, Muntilan, into works of art that give life.

Kasrin Endroprayono

Born: Muntilan, August 1941 (date unknown)

Wife: Jumiyati, 65

Children: Yoga Budiwantoro, 48; Dwi Edi Susilo, 43; Tri Mulyani, 39.

Grandchildren: 4

Education: State Technical School (STN; equivalent to today’s SMP junior high school)

Occupation: Founder and owner, Syailendra Stone-Carving Workshop