150 Works of Illustrator Artist B. Margono Being Exhibited

Jogjatrip, Jogja – As much as 150 illustrations of Yogyakarta artist B. Margono that were created in 1931—1950 are being displayed in Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta (BBY) from July 13^th—21^st 2010. The exhibition entitled “Seporet 1931—1950” is an art event that aims at documenting the works of prominent artists of a certain era.

The fine art exhibition is taking people and art lovers to look back to the past, in 60s up to 80s, through the illustrations of the February 12^th 1901 born artist. B. Margono’s personal interest in the character Petruk brought him into featuring this punokawan (clown servants of the hero in Javanese puppets) figure in his every work. We can say that B. Margono and Petruk are two inseparable figures.

Bonivasius Margono Darmo Pusoro, his full name, illustrated the character Petruk in lively and actual portrayal so that his works really have great historical value. It was his mastery in illustrating Petruk that led him to becoming a regular illustrator of the magazine Balai Pustaka, taking care of the column “Rembagipun Petruk dan Gareng” from 1930s to 1941. Aside from that, B. Margono also made illustrations for cekak (Cerkak) stories, some schoolbooks, and advertisements of companies like De Lamaar, Geovery, and Kolf Burning.

B. Margono works being displayed here are original illustrations such as comics that use Javanese letters, comics that use classic Javanese language, and some other paintings. All of the illustrations feature Petruk and Gareng characters, which are personified as the story of B. Margono’s life. There are also some sheets of folklore stories in illustrations, made in 1931. The sheets, again, contain illustrations of Petruk and Gareng with texts in Javanese letters. ** (Andreas Eko Wahyu S)

Translation by Reza Daffi (trans/08/07-10)

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