Political Context in Surakartanese Court Style Wayang Gedhog: Relationships Between Iconography and Performance Aspects with the Image of Power in 19th Century Java | Konteks Politik dalam Wayang Gedhog Gaya Kraton Surakarta: Hubungan Aspek Ikonografi dan Pertunjukan dengan Imaji Kekuasaan Jawa Abad ke-19

Authors

  • Rudy Wiratama Universitas Gadjah Mada https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1485-938X
  • Tambul Haryono Performing and Visual Arts Studies, Postgraduate School, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
  • Wisma Nugraha Christianto Rich Performing and Visual Arts Studies, Postgraduate School, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26721/spafajournal.y3u5h202mq

Keywords:

wayang gedhog, Panji, Surakarta, iconography, performance, ikonografi, pertunjukan

Abstract

Wayang gedhog, a Javanese art form that dates back to the 15th century, has endured several cultural transformations, once seen by the Walisanga as a method of spreading religious preaching. Under the rule of Mataram kings, who tended to reinforce their supremacy and legitimise their power in the mythical Panji tales, especially in Sunanate of Surakarta, this form of shadow puppetry survives even after the Javanese courts' political and military power gradually deteriorated in the 18th and 19th centuries. The concerns that have been raised about these cultural phenomena are: Why did the Surakartanese court give wayang gedhog greater consideration than its Yogyakartan equivalents, and what relevance does it have in the Sunanate's idea of power? In order to learn more about the phenomenon of wayang gedhog performance in the courtly setting of Surakarta, this article used a textual and contextual approach in a multidisciplinary field that included literature, history, aesthetics, and performance studies. It is discovered that political and ideological considerations significantly affected the iconography and performances of wayang gedhog, while this type of puppetry also expected to represent a Kraton political ideology. Additionally, it was established that the roles and depictions of wayang gedhog figures changed over time in response to changes in the regional or global political environment.

 

Wayang gedhog yang telah berkembang sejak abad ke-15 di Jawa telah bertahan dari transformasi kebudayaan yang pesat, pernah dianggap sebagai bagian dari sarana dakwah para Walisanga. Seni ini berkembang menjadi bagian dari seni keraton pada masa pemerintahan raja-raja Mataram yang berupaya memperkuat supremasi dan melegitimasi kekuasaan mereka melalui cerita mitos Panji, terutama di Kasunanan Surakarta, dan bertahan bahkan setelah kekuatan politik dan militer keraton-keraton Jawa merosot di abad ke-18 dan ke-19. Pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang timbul seputar fenomena kebudayaan ini di antaranya: bagaimana Sunan-sunan Surakarta dapat memberi perhatian lebih terhadap wayang gedhog dibandingkan Sultan Yogyakarta, serta apa arti penting wayang gedhog dalam lingkungan Kasunanan dengan konsep kekuasaan yang dianutnya. Pemahaman terhadap fenomena pertunjukan wayang gedhog di lingkungan Keraton Surakarta dapat dicapai melalui pendekatan tekstual dan kontekstual dalam ranah multidisipliner yang meliputi kajian sastra, sejarah, estetika dan pertunjukan. Artikel ini mengungkap bahwa faktor-faktor politis dan ideologis sangat mempengaruhi ikonografi dan pertunjukan wayang gĕdhog, di samping jenis wayang ini juga merefleksikan ideologi politik Keraton yang dinamis. Terbukti juga bahwa peran dan penggambaran tokoh dalam wayang gedhog berkembang secara dinamis menurut perubahan konteks politik global maupun regional.

The female Gunungan, an artificial mount made from various cooked food, for Sekaten scene in wayang gedhog, a collection of Museum Radyapustaka, Surakarta. Source: Photo by Rudy Wiratama, 2011.

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Published

2024-06-17

How to Cite

Wiratama, R., Haryono, T. and Nugraha, W. (2024) “Political Context in Surakartanese Court Style Wayang Gedhog: Relationships Between Iconography and Performance Aspects with the Image of Power in 19th Century Java | Konteks Politik dalam Wayang Gedhog Gaya Kraton Surakarta: Hubungan Aspek Ikonografi dan Pertunjukan dengan Imaji Kekuasaan Jawa Abad ke-19”, SPAFA Journal, 8, pp. 22–36. doi: 10.26721/spafajournal.y3u5h202mq.

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Research Articles