Temple Reliefs: The Potential for Character Education in Art

Education based on the Local Wisdom

Riza Istanto

and Arisianto

Graduate Program Art Education, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia

Keywords: Temple, relief, character, education, local wisdom.

Abstract: There are many temple reliefs in Java. The temple reliefs have an aesthetic form and consist of good values.

But, art learning practice do not utilize the potential. This study aims to explain the good values in

manifestation of temple relief for learning art. This paper used descriptive qualitative approach. The technique

of collecting the data would use observation, interviews, and documentation. The technique of analyzing the

data would use data reduction, data presentation, and data verification. The results of this study show that

reliefs on the temple have good values. They are good, sacrifice, love, affection and religious value as well.

In addition to the interesting visual, the relief contain implicit values that function as a means of maintaining

and developing a good showing in the group of societies. Therefore, the group of character education in art

education through learning art based on local wisdom of the temple, the learners can recognize character

values. So that art learning is able to use local potential of temple reliefs in practicing art.

1 INTRODUCTION

Technology and information are developing quickly

nowadays. This is a disruption era which impacts the

emergence of some new matters in a society. There is

no local cultural values and also the identity in a

society. That is one of the matters which is faced by

people in this country. So many children do not

understand local culture as the identity of this nation.

Indonesia as a country of archipelago, possess the

variety of local art. The local art consists of full

sublime values which are embraced by the society.

The existence of unique cultural form contain values

and local wisdom which function as means to

maintain and develop a good life in a group of society

(Triyanto, 2018). So, the understanding about local

culture can help someone in establishing the cultural

identity.

Art education is one of solution in elaborating the

issues. It is a media education capable of providing a

series of aesthetic experience for the development of

the individual soul (Jazuli, 2008). Art education

contains functions of learners. This function is

instrumental in developing various potential in the

individual (Soehardjo, 2011). It includes the forming

of cultured human character.

By implication, the implementation of arts

education, referring to the potential of local art-art

environment of the learners. Of the many local

wisdom that exists in Indonesia, the author offers

relief of temple. The relief of the temple is the famous

local cultural products to foreign countries. Its

existence is identity for the country. While the

potential for the development of art education.

Primarily, in shaping the character of learners.

This paper will discuss about character education

in art education-based local wisdom. This is a great

offer for Praxis art education in formal and non-

formal educational scope. Particularly in instilling the

values of goodness through a local wisdom in the

form of reliefs of the temple.

This paper used descriptive qualitative approach.

The technique of collecting the data would use

observation, interviews, and documentation (Rohidi,

2011). The technique of analyzing the data would use

data reduction, data presentation, and data

verification (B. Milles & Humberman, 2007).

2 ART EDUCATION

2.1 Character of Art Education

The core activities of art encapsulated in the creation

and appreciation of works (Triyanto, 2017)

(Soehardjo, 2011). To reach the educational

410

Istanto, R. and Arisianto, .

Temple Reliefs: The Potential for Character Education in Art Education based on the Local Wisdom.

DOI: 10.5220/0008765704100414

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Interdisciplinary Arts and Humanities (ICONARTIES 2019), pages 410-414

ISBN: 978-989-758-450-3

objectives through art, however, a person must make

and appreciate art (Lansing, 1969). The function of

art education is to instil awareness and aesthetic

sensitivity, to develop creativity or creativeness, and

it became a means of expressing the self-expression

and the environment. Including the creation of the

character of learners.

Linderman and Linderman (Linderman &

Linderman, 1984) describes that aesthetic experience

includes perceptual , cultural and artistic experiences.

Perceptual experiences can be grown through creative

activities (creating), imagination, and intellectual.

Cultural experience can be instilled through an

understanding of the cultural forms of the past and

present, while the artistic experience can be

embedded through creative activities and

appreciation. Culture is automatically integrated in art

education. It contained charges the awareness and

appreciation capability towards diverse culture of the

archipelago and Abroad. So local art is the potential

for art teaching practice.

The character is a typical value, nature or

character of a person. Formed from the results of the

internalization of various activities. It is believed to

be used as a way of looking, thinking, behaving,

speaking, and behaving in daily life (Jelantik, 2016).

For a nation, character is the primacy of the values

inherent in each individual in the community and then

embodies the personality and identity as a group of

society (Jelantik, 2016). Through arts education this

can be established when utilizing local art. For

example the temple reliefs which have sublime

values.

2.2 The Values on the Reliefs of the

Temple

The kind of relief that adorned the walls of temples in

general according to Jordan is the various forms of

iconic, decorative, and narrative reliefs (Jordan,

2009). The diversity of the story contained in relief,

as follows: the story of Ramayana, Krisnayana,

Mahabharata, Garudeya, Sudamala, Syaimbara

Drupadi, Sri Tanjung, as well as Kunjara Karna. The

source of these reliefs is the Hindu/buddha religious

texts (Adams, 1996). This research took three

samples of the reliefs of the temple namely temple

with the story of Ramayana reliefs at Prambanan,

Borobudur Temple in the Jataka stories, and the story

of Sudamala in Sukuh temple. The temples are

scattered in Central Java, Indonesia. Prambanan

Temple is in the town of Klaten, the Borobudur

temple is in the town of Magelang, and Sukuh Temple

is in the town of Karanganyar.

Prambanan temple is the largest Hindu temple in

Indonesia. This temple has a towering architectural

shape. Besides relief and ornaments attached to the

walls of the temple is amazing. Narrative reliefs

found in the Prambanan Temple is the story of

Ramayana and the story of Krisnayana. The

Borobudur Temple is the biggest Buddhist temple in

the world. The beauty of this temple is not only in the

form of its architecture but also reliefs and the

ornament is on the wall of the temple. While the

Sukuh is an erotic Temple in Indonesia. Ornaments

and relief is a uniqueness in the temple. The selection

of three reliefs considered by the author is a religious

background, history, architecture, and the three main

relief is carved mostly on the temples in Indonesia.

Note the following matrix.

Table 1: Character values of manifestation of temple relief

in learning art.

Temple Reliefs: The Potential for Character Education in Art Education based on the Local Wisdom

411

Table 1: Character values of manifestation of temple relief

in learning art (cont.).

The above matrix is the embodiment of the reliefs

of the temple containing the story. His story reflects

the values of populist, justice, truth, knowledge,

patience, sacrifice, love, and devotion, compassion,

peace, and spirituality (Harto, 1999). In addition to

the great value that is contained in the story. The

reliefs of the temple show the interesting aesthetic

form due to the arrangement of visual elements. The

placement of the figures form the harmonious and

dynamic patterns. This proves that the temple reliefs

also consider the question ofthe aesthetic taste in the

creation. The technique of making the temple reliefs

also show the greatness of the artist at the past.

Relief at Borobudur and Prambanan Temple is

made with high sculptures. Figures shown seem

proportionate and naturalist. They are so recognizable

depicted figures. While in Sukuh temple relief was

sculpted not too high. The relief looks primitive,

decorative, and resembles 'wayang'(traditional

performance of Javanese). However, overall the

reliefs on Temple in Indonesia arranged with

consideration of visual elements. The visual form of

relief seemed to consideration of visual elements of

line, texture, surface, and space.

2.3 Temple Reliefs: The Potential for

Character Education in Art

Education based on the Local

Wisdom

In terms of word, local wisdom consists of two words,

namely the local and wisdom. Wisdom has the

meaning the body of knowledge that develops in a

certain society or period and local means belonging

to particular area (Triyanto, 2018). From those two

meanings of the words, Triyanto explains the notion

of "local wisdom" as knowledge or views, values,

belief in a limited environment (applicable in the

specified area) (Triyanto, 2018).

Local wisdom can be either custom, habit of

living, lifestyle, as well as various cultural traditions

such as traditional art. This local wisdom develops on

each generation through the education process, as a

means to maintain and develop a good life in

community groups, as well as the collective identity

of certain community groups.

Indonesia is an archipelago, which has a range of

local wisdom in each of the regions. As a mechanism

of culture, local wisdom has several functions.

Triyanto (Triyanto, 2018) mentioned there are three

functions of local wisdom as a mechanism of culture.

As governing media behaviour of citizens 1), the

media to maintain the values that are not appropriate

2), and the strategies of adaptation to accommodate

the influence of external culture values and integrate

in the native culture.

Character education with arts education truly have

a good relation. The basic culture of the society that

has personality, including local wisdom. The

existence of local wisdom which brings in the local

area can be introduced through formal and informal

education. So, a person will form the character of the

ICONARTIES 2019 - 1st International Conference on Interdisciplinary Arts and Humanities

412

individual who is aware of the local culture of his/her

country.

The constitution of the Republic of Indonesia

Number 20 in 2003 regarding the national education

system, article 37 paragraph (Triyanto, 2018) States

that the study of art and culture to form the character

of learners in order to become a man who has a sense

of art and cultural understanding (Jelantik, 2016).

This is characteristic of art education. Art education

contains functions of learners. This function is useful

for a wide range of growth and development for every

potential of each learners (Soehardjo, 2011).

Including a humane balance between education,

logical-rational, ethical-moral, by emphasizing

aesthetic education-emotional (Rohidi, 2014).

The identity of a cultural community groups can

be seen through learning art. The art learning in this

case, based on local wisdom of temple reliefs. The

values inherent in the temple reliefs are the

embodiment of the good values. A potential role is in

cultivating a certain character. Values that reflect on

the temple reliefs is the value of the populist,

simplicity, fairness, patience, truth, knowledge,

fertility, fighting for ideals, love and mercy, peace,

and spirituality (Harto, 1999).

The art of learning activities including the

activities of expression, work, and appreciation. The

scope of creative experience in learning the art lies in

the activity of the creation or the making of the work.

The experience related to the expressing of the idea,

mastery and the utilization of media, as well as the

mastery of techniques by learners. These activities

aim to instil aesthetic value. Other roles in an effort is

to encourage the entire potential learners. While the

appreciation of the activities related to a person's

response to the works of others. Through the activities

of appreciation, one can appreciate the work of others

and gain an understanding of the issues that are

recorded on a piece of art.

Track of the creation of artwork and expression,

students or learners are conditioned to create works

of art with the contents of the local wisdom of temple

reliefs. Learners are conditioned to understand and

appreciate the content of the reliefs of the temple as a

source of ideas in creating the work. Learners are

given the opportunity to convey and explores the idea

of the temple relief through the medium of art.

Whereas activities in appreciation, the students are

introduced to the phenomenon of a certain Temple

relief through group work. The working groups

provide the opportunity for children to discuss the

phenomenon of temple reliefs, to understand and

appreciate the values in it. Especially, the associated

value of intra aesthetic and extra aesthetics.

The art of learning by integrating character

education, emphasized the development of creativity,

appreciate and live the honest, discipline, responsible,

care (tolerance, mutual help), polite, confident

behaviour. In relation to an active interaction towards

the social and natural environment in the association.

Its existence involved all forms of physical activity

and sense of beauty (Jelantik, 2016). The role of

teachers is important in establishing a conducive and

fun learning. Teacher creativity in choosing the

method and developing the learning determined the

direction of learning. Therefore, all components of

the learning has to be prepared to the maximum. So,

the goal of learning art by utilizing temple reliefs can

be achieved optimally.

In intra aesthetic, visual form of the temple reliefs

show the aesthetic forms. There are the visual

elements of points, lines, texture, space, surface,

shape, and the look inside. These elements are

arranged with a proportional consideration, forming

the rhythm and unity, so that it looks lovely.

Appreciation of the arrangement of visual elements

enhance the aesthetic sensibilities of the learners.

Especially at a time when such relief in the form is

raised again by the learners in the form of works of

art. The students do not only understand aesthetically,

but also great value contained in it. It is understood

and absorbed by students deeply. So that the students

aware and apply the values into their behaviour.

Figure 1: Model of character education based on local

wisdom

The above diagram 1 is elaborated as follows; the

relief of the temple is a local product of Indonesia

culture. Its existence spreads across Java, with

various types and shapes. In intra esthetic shows the

arrangement of visual elements (points, lines, texture,

space, surface, shape, and the look) which is coherent

and dynamic as well. The sublime values contained

on the relief is also important. The value is a virtue,

struggle, love and compassion, as well as religious.

These two potential things in art education (the value

of intra esthetic and extra esthetic) the application

THE LOCAL

WISDOM OF TEMPLE

RELIEF

ART LEARNING

Creation and Appreciation

THE

VALUES

VISUAL

AESTHETIC

Temple Reliefs: The Potential for Character Education in Art Education based on the Local Wisdom

413

can be applied to the study of the creation and

appreciation of art. On the creation of works of art,

students are given the opportunity to express and

explores the idea of the temple relief through the

medium of art. Whereas in appreciation activities, the

students were introduced to the phenomenon of a

certain Temple relief through group work. The

working groups provide the opportunity for children

to discuss the phenomenon of temple reliefs in order

to understand and appreciate the values in it.

Especially, the associated value of intra aesthetic and

exstra aesthetic.

Aesthetic phrasing with a different expression

media embed creativity of learners. Students cultivate

a form of temple reliefs originally from rock carvings

into artistic expression with other types. a selection of

works of painting, graphics, sculpture, drawings, and

so forth will excite the imagination. Temple reliefs

were taken as the theme of the work or show back in

the other media materials. in processing the idea,

learners are directed to conduct observations. They

will find out the content of the story, the figures, and

the characters in the story. This resulted in a good

understanding of the values used in behave.

The following art creations, is one example of the

art of learning by utilizing the local cultural resources

(relief of the Temple).

Figure 2. Ramayana Relief at Prambanan (above) dan

mozaik work, inspired from one of Ramayana relief at

Prambanan temple which the mozaik is Jadid Ridho’s work

in order to fulfill his bachelor degree. The work was created

in 2011 (below). source: Aryo Sunaryo 2009 (above) and

doument of fine art Universitas Negeri Semarang (below).

3 CONCLUSIONS

There are so many temples in Indonesia. The temples

are decorated with reliefs stories filled with good

values. In addition to the interesting visual, the relief

contain implicit values that function as a means of

maintaining and developing a good showing in the

group of societies. Therefore, the group of character

education in art education through learning art based

on local wisdom of the temple, the learners can

recognize character values.

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