FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE'S SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS ON DJOKO PEKIK'S “GO TO HELL CROCODILLE” PAINTING

Abstrak

This research aims to identify and analyze the symbolic meaning in the painting "Go to Hell Crocodile" by Djoko Pekik through the semiotic approach of Ferdinand de Saussure. This painting is one of the important works in contemporary Indonesian art that raises the theme of social criticism through symbolic visual language. Although this work has been extensively studied from a formal aesthetic perspective, studies that specifically use Saussure's semiotic approach to interpret the relationship between signifiers and signifiers in paintings are limited. Therefore, this study views painting as a visual sign system that has a structure of meaning formed through the relationship between visual elements in the composition of the work.

This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach with a semiotic analysis method. Data were obtained through visual observation of elements in paintings, documentation studies, and relevant literature studies. Data analysis is carried out by identifying visual elements as markers, determining the concept of meaning as a marker, and interpreting the relationship between the two in a social and cultural context.

The results showed that visual elements such as crocodile figures, soil spiral patterns, crowds of people, pointed bamboo, Honai traditional houses, and mountainous landscapes formed a system of signs that represented social conflict and power inequality. At the interpretation stage, the visual meaning in the painting is associated with the context of the conflict in natural resource management in Papua. This research confirms that artworks can function as a visual communication medium that conveys social criticism through visual symbols.