Throughout August, the public can freely enjoy numerous historical paintings that can normally only be viewed by people who have access to the country’s presidential palaces.

As many as 28 paintings that depict the nation’s struggles during the colonial era and early independence, including the works of maestros like S. Sudjojono, Affandi, Raden Saleh and Dullah, will be showcased in the first-ever exhibition held by the State Palace at the National Gallery.

The 28 paintings have been housed at the State Palace in Jakarta, Bogor Palace and Cipanas Palace in West Java and Yogyakarta Palace.

Little is known among the general public about the works and painters.

Chances to enjoy the paintings are few and far between as a program to regularly open up the palaces to the public on weekends — previously called Istura tours — was suspended when President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo took office in October 2014.

The palaces are only occasionally opened to the public, such as Bogor Palace on the city’s anniversary or Yogyakarta Palace during Idul Fitri.

Even for Bogor Palace household official Endang Sumitra, seeing such works almost daily has not made him curious about the value and stories behind them.

“It was probably only after my 20th year of working here that I realized how these [art] works have [historical] value,” said Endang, who is the fourth generation of his family to work at the palace, and has been employed there since 1982.

Apart from increasing public enthusiasm about art and history, the exhibition is also part of the palace’s efforts to maintain the existence of permanent collections, with the initiative coming directly from Jokowi.

“As a curator, I hope this can provide momentum for everyone, as one nation, to remind us about our history and national pride, as well as for art and artifacts as part of history,” said curator of the exhibition Mikke Susanto.

Rarely seen pieces such as Memanah (Archery) by Henk Ngantung, Di Depan Kelambu Terbuka (In Front of the Open Mosquito Net) by S. Sudjojono and Penangkapan Pangeran Diponegoro (The Arrest of Prince Diponegoro) by Raden Saleh are among the paintings.

Few know about Memanah’s place in the country’s history. The work by Henk — who was also Jakarta’s first Christian governor, briefly holding office between 1964 and 1965 — is believed to have been in the background when first president Sukarno read out the proclamation text in 1945. Some art enthusiasts, including Mikke, believe Sukarno was the model for the hands featured in the painting.

Unfortunately for Henk, he was accused of being a communist sympathizer when Sukarno’s term ended in 1967.

Bogor Palace never had a chance to display Memanah as it was damaged when it arrived; the piece that will be featured in the exhibition is a reproduction.

Penangkapan Pangeran Diponegoro, which is normally housed in a reception room at the State Palace that is often used for bilateral meetings, is a comment on the tactics Dutch colonialists used to detain national hero Diponegoro.

Another Bogor Palace painting in the exhibition is Rini, which portrays a woman in a kebaya (traditional blouse) sitting with a flower behind her left ear, of whom a sketch was completed by painter Dullah. However, the painting itself was done by Sukarno in 1958.

The 28 paintings come from a collection of around 3,000 works, mostly collected by Sukarno, displayed on the walls of the five palaces as well as Bali’s Tampaksiring Palace.

“Actually, when Bogor Palace, along with other palaces in the country, was open to the public, it was kind of a gallery,” Endang added. “All the walls at the palaces speak of history; they are rich with information.”

If the paintings had ears and voices, not only could they tell stories from history, but they could also talk about daily life in the palaces and of the country’s presidents.

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