THE SHARIA ART & THE INSIGHT GATE
ISLAMIC LANDSCAPE: Contemporary Paintings by Deni Je
The ‘Islamic Landscape’ painting is a solution for collecting works of art by Muslim families. There are at least 2 benefits to be gained, namely art that is in accordance with Islamic law and art that is able to open Islamic insight.
At the sharia level, because the ‘Islamic Landscape’ painting does not depict animate creatures, displaying it at home does not conflict with the hadith, “Angels (Rahmat) will not enter a house where there are dogs and paintings of animate creatures.”
Furthermore, the works of art presented not only display beauty but also reflect on Islamic values. In other words, these paintings are not only an artistic element of Muslim households but also an entry point to delve into the treasures of Islam.
For example, when the painting is displayed in the living room, we can use it as an entry point for conversation about the heritage of the Islamic world with visiting friends. Or, when the painting is in the family room collection, it can be used to start a discussion with family members about the great Islamic civilization.
One time, I was invited to do Islamic studies at the mosque. What I did instead was bring a painting and invite the congregation to discuss the contents of the painting. They love to listen. I documented it, the video is here.
In essence, the genre of my painting is landscape, but this is not a landscape in general. I’m not taking a completely realistic approach. The composition of the objects that appear is not what it is, but I change them to support the theme I am working on. Thus, this landscape painting is a contemporary landscape.
Deni Je, Golden, Dark, Diamond Era, 2022, 49.7 x 27.8 cm x 3 panels – 19.5 in x 10.9 in x 3 panels, watercolor on canvas
MY PAINTING WORLD
Welcome to “Islamic Landscape: Contemporary Painting by Deni Je”, a site that displays paintings with an Islamic spirit.
I am Deni Junaedi a.k.a Deni Je, born at a Muslim family in a small village of Central Java, Indonesia, June 21 1973. My father, who is a feather mosaic painter, became my first painting mentor.
My life cannot be separated from painting. In fact, since my 1st grade elementary school teacher asked me, “What are your dreams, Deni?” I answered steadily, “As a painter, ma’am.”
To develop my skills, I studied painting at the largest art college in Indonesia: the Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) Yogyakarta in 1997. Because I was born into a poor family, I had to work hard to pay my own tuition fees. Not satisfied with my undergraduate education, I continued my master’s studies at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Yogyakarta to study art theory.
I have held four solo exhibitions of paintings and often participate in group exhibitions, both in my country and abroad.
I also won several art awards, such as “The Winner of The Best of Stories Competition, the Art & Design category of The Best of Stories global Muslim creative competition, held by Narrative House 2023”; “The Winner of the Trip to Turkey Art Competition ‘Heritage of Ottoman’, held by Terang Trip 2020”; and “The Winner of the Total Indonesia-YSRI Painting Art Competition, 2000”.
Apart from being a painting artist, I am also a painting lecturer at ISI Yogyakarta and a YouTube Painting Explorer content creator.
THE CLASH OF ARTS
Meanwhile, to deepen my knowledge of Islam, I went to several teachers. I also like reading books on history, Islamic thought, and art.
Because I studied in an educational atmosphere that adopted many Western values, of course I also studied the philosophy, civilization and aesthetics of Liberalism. From these two sources, the West and Islam, there is a clash of artistic values within oneself.
Liberalism’s motto for the value of art is ‘art for art’s sake’. On the other hand, Islam uses the standard of ‘art for worship’. This is based on the Al-Quran letter Az-Zariat verse 56, “Wa mâ khalaqtul-jinna wal-insa illâ liya’budûn” (I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me).
Initially, like most painters, I explored human figures as painting objects. However, because there is a hadith about the prohibition of painting animate creatures (aniconism), since 2013 I decided not to paint any more. One of the hadiths conveyed by Bukhari and Muslim states, “People who draw living creatures will be punished on the Day of Judgment…”
In this position I also pay attention to the differences of opinion (khilafiyah) between the ulama regarding the law of taswir. Regarding photography, for example, I take the view that it is not taswir because it is a form of capturing light. However, I chose not to paint figures of animate creatures simply to avoid God’s judgment in the future.
This change in artistic values is of course not easy for a painter. Art lovers and collectors who initially liked my paintings no longer contact me. The controversy grew even bigger when I founded and became chairman of the KHAT Muslim Artists Network. I try to explain my views in this art community.
However, alhamdulillahirobbil’alamin, Allah is Rich. My new period paintings have also found new art lovers and collectors.
Deni Je, Light Direction, 2023, 100 x 65 cm, 39.3 x 25.5 in, acrylic paint on canvas
VAST ISLAMIC TREASURES
Islamic values which cover all aspects of life (kaffah) definitely promise a lot of inspiration to be explored. Therefore, even though it is limited by not painting human figures or animals, the idea of painting is still very broad. In fact, such restrictions actually pose a challenge to creativity.
Islam regulates individual, social, and state life issues. The history of Islamic civilization has proven this. This is a field of inspiration for painting. Various approaches to form and use of painting art materials can be applied.
So, through the spirit of creating art that tries to pay attention to artistic jurisprudence, I gave birth to various series of paintings, namely: Islamic Civilization Landscape, Islamic Values Landscape, and Worldly Illusions Landscape. These are brief descriptions:
Islamic Civilization
This series of paintings highlights the extraordinary Islamic civilization. Born from a barren place, Mecca, Islam has spread to all corners of the world. Since the time of the Prophet Muhammad saw, Khulafaur Rasyidin, the Ummayah Caliphate, the Abbasid Caliphate, up to the Ottoman Caliphate, Islam has inherited a variety of arts and cultures that consider revelation as its parameter. Currently, Muslims are not leading the world, but the Prophet announced that Islam will be victorious again.
This series often consists of paintings of mosques in certain landscapes. The diversity of mosque shapes is an interesting thing to ponder. Even though the shapes of mosques in Africa and China are very different, for example, they all have the same pattern, namely the existence of a place for the imam (mihrab) and a place for the congregation to pray together. Whatever the shape, the mosque has the same direction, one Qibla. This shows that Muslims, wherever they come from, have the same religious beliefs.
Atmosphere of the 4th Deni Je Painting Solo Exhibition
Islamic Values
The paintings in this series are inspired by verses from the Quran and Hadith. The Quran is a book of guidance for all of humanity. Allah has promised that He will preserve it in its original form until the Day of Judgment. Hadith is accounts of things said or done by Nabi Muhammad.
When reading Surah Al-Hadid verse 25, for example, I was very impressed by the information that iron is something that was sent down from above, not from the earth. In fact, I used this verse as the theme for my first solo exhibition of paintings, “The Sent Down Iron”.
Worldly Illusions
The world we live in is just an illusion. The glitter is often distracting. So, we forget that the real purpose of life is to worship the Creator of this world, Allah SWT. True and eternal life is the afterlife, namely life after we leave this world.
To find happiness there, we need to protect ourselves from being deceived by the world’s temptations. I depict this situation with various objects that give an ambiguous impression, such as objects that give the impression of being below and above at the same time.
As chairman of the KHAT Muslim Artists Network, I organize Islamic art exhibitions.
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Islamic painting is often identified with Arabic calligraphy. However, even though my paintings are about Islamic values, they rarely use calligraphy. This is an attempt to state that Islamic painting is not always realized through Arabic calligraphy. Islamic art is art that is imbued with the spirit of Islamic artistic values: ‘art for worship’. []
I (Deni Je) with my wife (Sulistyaningsih), first daughter (Balanca Qolta) and second daughter (Dalil Aqli).