Testimonials

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The 1.5 x 2 meter painting is filled with only a painting of burning fire. There are 13 peaks of fire that appear to be intertwined with each other. At first glance they are the same, but anyone who looks closely will find differences in each fire. Behind the burning fires, destroyed objects are faintly visible: a house, a small child, a chair with broken legs, a wall clock without hands, and others. Not only that, the frame is also made as if it is part of the painting, with some of the wood blackened from burning, and some still lighting sparks!

The painter of the painting: Satro Geni, who throughout his life has only painted fire, and the following are testimonies in the catalog that the committee managed to summarize from several people who are considered to have close relationships with the painter:

Amanda Sardie, senior journalist

I have watched Satro Geni's painting exhibition several times, and I am still amazed. Painting fire objects throughout his almost 30-year career as a painter is certainly not something easy. Oddly enough, I can always enjoy his paintings. I feel like I always get a different offer from every fire he paints. Several times I tried to chat with him, and I was amazed by what underlies each of his paintings. From there I began to realize that the curves of the fire he painted were always different. I even began to realize that the colors of the fire he painted were never the same.

In this Painting of 13 Fires, it is like a summary of the painter's career journey so far. I am very grateful that the National Gallery is willing to hold this exhibition. An exhibition that I will never forget.

I have known Satro Geni for most of my life. I am sure everyone knows how obsessed he is with fire. But what many may not know is that at the age of 11, I was the one who accompanied him to the village office to change his real name.

Back then, he had not painted, but he had already played with fire. He often burned anything that he found interesting. Paper, sandals, stones, and others. As he grew older, I thought he was getting crazier. He started burning living creatures like crickets, frogs, snakes, even a blind dog.

This craziness made me no longer want to be friends with him. For several years, I always avoided him. Until when he graduated from high school, he came and said, "I no longer burn anything. I have decided that I will just paint everything." So after that, we became friends again.

I knew nothing about art, let alone painting. But from observing my friend, I could understand him a little. Painting had taught him the meaning of suppressing anger. I knew that behind his quiet nature, he was full of anger. He was angry at his parents who separated and left him, angry at the school teachers who didn't understand him, and angry at the environment that couldn't accept him. But he couldn't do anything. All he could do was let out his anger in his paintings.

One thing I regret is that I couldn't always be with him. I could only follow his career journey, and I felt sad because even though enough time had passed, he still poured out his anger in paintings in the form of fire. So when I heard the news that he was found dead, committing suicide by burning himself in a pit of fire, I wasn't too surprised. For someone who had been obsessed with fire all his life, I had imagined an ending like that for him!

I don't want to comment on that crazy man! Let alone give a testimony at an exhibition to commemorate him. My relationship with him is over since I left him!

So you know, there was a night when he spoiled me so much. He gave me expensive bags, beautiful clothes, and gold jewelry, so that I would fulfill his wishes. Do you know what he asked for? He wanted me to allow him to burn me!

Really, I never thought of a request like that. It was really crazy! So before everything got worse, I decided to leave him. (translated from interview results)

As far as I know, a person who becomes a painter usually follows his talent. But I don't think so with Satro Geni. He painted because he had no other choice. His desire to see everything burn, made painting his life choice. Because that's where he could immortalize what he burned.

I certainly don't want to get caught up in talking about his painting technique. I am someone who believes that: anyone can be a painter, especially someone who has a strong desire for something, like Satro Geni.

When I heard that the National Gallery would be holding Satro Geni's last painting exhibition, and making a testimonial sheet for his colleagues, I knew I was certainly not the person asked to do that. So I went to the committee and asked permission to write a few words for it.

I don't know who Satro Geni is. I'm not a fan of painting anyway. It's just that there is one story I want to tell related to the reason why I bought one of his paintings.

Once I accompanied my friend to watch his painting exhibition. My friend was indeed a fan of painting, while at that time, I still had the principle of not spending a single cent on a painting. Of course, at first I was really annoyed seeing paintings that were almost all the same. But accidentally my eyes fell on a painting entitled Fire of God. There I felt like I saw my child – who had died a long time ago – in the middle of the fire. So what I did then was immediately jump in there, and save my child. After that, I came back out of the fire. What I found later, I was lying on the floor, right in front of the painting. My friend didn't understand why I did that. Especially when he saw my clothes that were slightly burned.

Of course I couldn't explain anything to him. All I could do was buy the painting.

For years, I have hoped that the price of Satro Geni's paintings could increase. Honestly, I have tried to fry them once or twice, just to help him out. But selling paintings that are almost the same as each other is not an easy matter. For several years, the price of his paintings has only been sold for the same amount.

Today, at his last painting exhibition, I still say the same thing as before: Yu is an extraordinary painter, Yu's choices are something that other painters cannot follow. However, Yu should not expect more, because every choice has its own consequences! (translated from the recording)

A painting is certainly not just a work, work, work, without a narrative and ideas. In the future, I hope that the Painting of 13 Fires will be an example of how a painting is composed based on ideas, not just a painting without a narrative, without ideas. The sequence must be clear, not just a work, but a work based on a narrative, a narrative based on ideas.

At first I was a little hesitant to accept the project to make a book by Mr. Satro Geni. But once I met him to explore, I became enthusiastic. As a book writer, I have met many figures, but Mr. Satro Geni is one of the most different.

I happened to come when Mr. Satro Geni was finishing the Painting of 13 Fires which is now on display. At that time I had time to joke, is he one of those people who are afraid of the number 13? At that time Mr. Satro Geni just laughed. Just to tell you the story, it turned out that initially Mr. Satro Geni did not count the number of fires he made at all, only after he finished, did he realize the number was 13.

For me, my father was not a good father. He was always in his studio, without ever caring about my presence. Even when Mother decided to leave, she did not feel sad at all. He continued to paint as usual. In fact, he finished a painting entitled Burning Surti, which I considered a dig at my mother, because my father deliberately colored Surti's clothes green, which was my mother's favorite color.

Initially, my mother deliberately left me because she wanted my father to take care of me. But I couldn't stand being with her, so I decided to follow my mother.

For years, I almost never saw my father. But one thing was for sure, his money always arrived on time. Until I was 23 years old and started working and being independent, he still sent it, even though I had asked him to stop.

My father only stopped sending money a few days before he died. His friends then asked me to write a testimonial for his last exhibition. Oddly enough, I didn't refuse. After all, it was the money he sent that made me like this.

But today, at his last painting exhibition, I realized that he won. I am sure, it was the consistency that he carried until his death, which no other painter could repeat, and I take my hat off to that.

Please, student

Although I was only with him for a few months, I still consider Mas Geni my teacher. I know, Mas Geni actually didn't want to have a student, but I was taken directly by one of his friends, so he was embarrassed to refuse.

For several months with him I kept watching him. Of course to steal his knowledge. But for some reason, what I learned never seemed to work well enough when I tried it myself at home. Maybe I'm not very talented, or Mas Geni's technique that no one can follow. I don't know.

Pananda, painting collector

Previously I had kept 3 paintings by Satro Geni. When I saw this Painting of 13 Fires, I felt sure that this would be the best painting of this decade. The feeling was the same as when I looked at Raden Saleh's painting, Watersnood op Midden Java, which has mysteriously disappeared to this day, or the painting of the Battle of Sultan Agung and J.P. Coen from S. Sudjojono.

Why am I so sure? Look at this painting carefully! Of course I don't want to talk about its philosophy. Many media have interpreted the meaning of fire in the 13 burning objects in it. I want to talk about the painting technique that amazed me. Look at the 13 flames, it turns out that the flames are formed from medium-sized flames, and the medium-sized flames are formed from small flames. Not only that, the small flames are formed from even smaller flames. At first glance it may not be visible, but anyone who pays close attention will immediately realize it. Not only that, the way the painter strokes his brush when creating these 13 flames is also different. Each fire represents one element of movement: straight lines, curved lines, circles, squares, parallelograms, and others.

Maulana, the traveler

I actually had no intention of coming to this building. I was just passing by on my journey to the east. But then I seemed to see a shadow of fire in this building. A big fire that destroyed everything. So I decided to come to this building, and found a painting depicting 13 fires being exhibited.

I may be exaggerating a little. But the painting is not just a painting, there are embers inside it. I hope this message can be read by the committee, and immediately close this exhibition! If not, on the 13th day, be prepared for the worst fire to burn everything.