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Sudjojono: Looking closely at the maestro
Book Launch: Jusuf Wanandi (from left to right) Rose Pandanwangi, the widow of Sudjojono; and Canna Gallery owner Tommy Canna at the launch of A Century of Sudjojono at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies Jakarta on Wednesday
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span class="inline inline-none">Book Launch: Jusuf Wanandi (from left to right) Rose Pandanwangi, the widow of Sudjojono; and Canna Gallery owner Tommy Canna at the launch of A Century of Sudjojono at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies Jakarta on Wednesday.
The celebration of the centennial of S. Sudjojono's birth is being marked by an exhibition showing the maestro Indonesian painter as a son, a man, a father, a politician, and, ' of course ' as an artist.
'S. Sudjojono: Art, Life and Legacy', the last in a series of centennial events, features paintings, sketches and a host of photographs, writings, letters and other artifacts of the artist.
'The focus of the exhibition is to celebrate his figure not only as an artist, but also as a writer, a critic and a teacher,' exhibition curator Santy Saptari said. 'We're trying to bring all that through this exhibition.'
Santy said that the paintings at the exhibition came from the permanent collections of the S. Sudjojono Center, the Fine Arts and Ceramic Museum in Jakarta, the National Gallery and several private individuals.
'Some of his paintings are making their first appearance in public,' Santy said.
The exhibition, organized by the S. Sudjojono Center, is divided into five parts.
First are paintings that reflect Sudjojono as a visionary.
Santy said that while many local artists during the nation's colonial and early Independence periods chose to depict the struggle against Indonesia's occupiers violently, Sudjojono had a different approach.
'His works on revolution showed no blood or people fighting,' the curator said at a media tour of the exhibit before its opening on Wednesday. 'Instead, he painted about situations where people were involved in discussions. To me, that shows that Sudjojono wanted to show a more intellectual side of the Indonesian people.'
Sudjojono's Pertemuan di Tjikampek (A Meeting in Cikampek) and Ngaso (Take a Break), both made in 1964, reflected that ethos, she said.
Also on display in the first section is the artist's first work, Ibuku (My Mother), completed in 1935.
''Ibuku' is the painting where he became known for his kethok [Javanese realism] style. The shape, the color and the expression can be clearly seen. His mother's expression is like someone who is contemplative,' Santy said.
In section two, paintings that portray people's daily lives are on display, including Bis Kota (Public Bus), which depicts the struggle of urban life, and Kepala Gombal.
'Kepala Gombal was Sudjojono's criticism about the blackouts that often occurred in his house. His complaints about the problem were never heard by [state-owned power company PT] PLN,' Santy said, adding that the work's strong colors underlined Sudjojono's sarcasm.
A more personal touch can be felt in the third section, which contains portraits that Santy said seemed to be tools for the artist's self-promotion, as well as a record of his development as an artist and as a person.
Pictures of Sudjojono with fellow maestro painters Affandi and Basuki Abdullah; images of his marriage to his second wife, Rose Pandanwangi; and sketches of their children, are also poignant.
There are even some of Sudjojono's love letters to Rose, written in Dutch on the back of shopping lists.
The fourth section presents Sudjojono as a creative explorer, featuring landscape paintings and Balinese still-lifes from the New Order period.
'During this period of time we can see a wider range of his creativity because he painted many things, from nudes, to landscapes to flowers,' Santy said.
Tempat Mandi di Pinggir Laut (Bathing Place on Shore) and Corak Seni Lukis Indonesia Baru (New Indonesia Art Motifs), which was made a few days before he died of complications from lung cancer in 1986, are some of the paintings exhibited.
The last section focuses on Sudjojono's immense triptych painting of the battle between Sultan Agung of Mataram and the Dutch colonial governor-general Jan Pieterszoon Coen.
While the original painting hangs in the Sultan Agung Room at the Jakarta History Museum in Kota, West Jakarta; for the exhibition, the 10-meter-long work has been projected onto a wall.
The exhibition innovatively presents information about the triptych, such as through a reproduction of the painting featuring little 'windows' cut into the canvas that open on to boxes of text detailing the type of the batik or things used for offerings in the old days.
The opening of the exhibition also coincided with the launch of Seabad S.Sudjojono (A Century of Sudjojono), highlighting the best of the artist's work.
The book, which explores the artistic, historical and social context underscoring Sudjojono's paintings, was written by 13 contributors, including art curators and critics Jim Supangkat and Agus Dermawan T.
Events on Sudjojono's centennial began on April and included a discussion on the Sultan Agung painting, a theater performance at the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center in Cikini, Central Jakarta, and an exhibition at the Mask and Puppets Museum in Bali.
The exhibition runs until Dec. 22 at the Pakarti Center in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.
Photos by JP/Novia D. Rulistia and JP/Wendra Ajistyatama and courtesy of Galleri Canna and the S. Sudjojono Center.
