Deni Junaedi, UU Pornografi (Pornography Law), 2008, water color on paper, 53 x 99 cm
My Painting UU Pornografi (Pornography Law) is of Édouard Manet’s Le Dejeneuner sur L’Herbe. This Manet’s painting was the first of his picture that create a scandal, when it was exhibited in 1863. Manet knew that his painting would cause a stir. Most critics acknowledged that Manet was a talented painter but they were baffled by the subject. They were aware that it was closely based on the Pastoral Concern, a famous sixteenth-century painting in the Louvre. However, while the original was clearly a fantasy, set in an imaginary past, the clothing in Manet’s picture was both real and modern. This raised questions of morality. Why were two gentlemen sitting beside a naked woman? Manet’s picture was also puzzling in other ways. The pose of the right-hand figure, for example, was copied from an engraving by Marcantonio Raimodi (c. 1480-1534). In its original context, the man’s gesture made perfect sense, but in Le Dejeneuner sur L’Herbe it served no obvious purpose. (p.436)
In 30 October 2008, Indonesian Pornography Law was legalized. It had been controversial since it was a bill. The supporters of the Pornography Law had demonstrated in the street. The rejecters had done it as well.
My painting UU Pornografi (Pornography Law) depicts government initiative rules pornography problem. Indonesia is identical to religion society, it can be understood that pornography is seen as urgent condition (remember that in the Manet’s case, pornography is a problem too).
Édouard Manet, Le Dejeneuner sur L’Herbe, 1654, oil on canvas, 208 x 264 cm, Musee d’Orsay, Paris, Perancis
Lukisan ini menggambarkan upaya pemerintah dalam mengurus persoalan pornografi, dalam hal ini digambarkan dengan figur lelaki di sebelah kiri yang menggunakan seragam Pakaian Sipil Harian (PSH) Pegawai Negeri Sipil (PNS) yang diperankan oleh pelukisnya sendiri. Jika dibaca dalam UU Pornografi terlihat upaya pemerintah ingin menanggulangi masuknya komersialisasi seksual lewat media digital (kususnya internet). Namun karena beberapa pengamat memandang Undang-Undang tersebut bisa menimbulkan bias, maka timbul kekhawatiran para kreator seni dapat terjerat Undang-Undang tersebut, meskipun sebenarnya di dalamnya juga diatur tata cara memamerkan karya seni yang berbau porno.
