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Tracing the Virgin Mary in Basoeki Abdullah’s ‘Maria Assumpta’
Maria Assumpta by Basoeki Abdullah, 1935
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Maria Assumpta by Basoeki Abdullah, 1935.
Clad in a kebaya (traditional Javanese blouse) and batik wraparound, the Virgin Mary ascends to the heavens in Basoeki Abdullah’s Maria Assumpta, a painting recently discovered in a warehouse in the Netherlands and a significant piece of artwork that helped shape the local imagery of this revered Catholic figure in Indonesia.
A few weeks ago, Indonesia’s fine art community learned about a surprising discovery in connection with the country’s master of realism, Basoeki Abdullah (1915-1993). One of his paintings, the Maria Assumpta (Virgin Mary’s Ascension), had recently been found in the basement warehouse of the Jesuit Society nursery home in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Figures within the Indonesian art scene lamented the poor handling of the 200 centimeter by 100-cm painting, which is considered one of Basoeki’s masterpieces. The Dutch curator in charge of the painting toned down the concerns, saying that it was only temporarily being stored in the warehouse.
He added that the Netherlands has long recognized the painting’s value. As evidence, Maria Assumpta was exhibited at the Valkhof Museum in Nijmegen from September 2004 to February 2005, after being decently displayed for decades in The Hague and Nijmegen.
Though the painting had been stored in a dark warehouse, art observers believe that such excellent paintings like the Maria Assumpta is able to retain its quality. What happened to Perburuan Banteng (Banteng Hunt) by Raden Saleh (1807-1880) serves as an example.
The large painting was long kept in the cellar of a Breton home in France. The family discovered the painting when they were about to sell the house in 2017.
The painting was listed to an auction house in Vannes, France, for its auction on Jan. 27, 2018, with a low price estimate of 200,000 euro (US$223,754).
Realizing the significance of the painting, bidders pushed the price up to 7.2 million euro. Plus a premium fee, Perburuan Banteng’s final price reached 8.92 million euro.
Basoeki Abdullah painted Maria Assumpta in 1935 and gave it to a Catholic foundation that had granted him a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in 1933.
The oil-paint canvas depicts Virgin Mary in Javanese attire ascending to heaven.
He said the idea of painting Virgin Mary in a graceful kebaya and batik wraparound had been inspired by a verse in Isaiah 61:10 of the Bible, which reads: “I delight greatly in the Lord […] For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness […] like a bride adorned with her jewels.”
“For me, who was born and raised in Java, the clothing of salvation and robe of righteousness for a bride are a kebaya and batik wraparound,” Basoeki said as I interviewed him in the 1980s for a 1985 book titled R. Basoeki Abdullah, RA: Duta Seni Lukis Indonesia (R. Basoeki Abdullah, RA: An Envoy of Indonesian Art).
While studying in the Netherlands between 1933 and 1936, Basoeki created seven paintings of the Virgin Mary, some showing her in a Javanese costume and setting. There were certainly other works referring to a European countenance, setting and clothing, such as the one with Virgin Mary and Jesus being visited by the Magi (Three Kings), which was shown as an exhibition poster in the Netherlands.
When he returned to Europe in 1950, he still painted the Virgin Mary with a strong Javanese flair. One of them was Ibunda dan Puteranya (The Mother and Her Son), referring to the Dutch saying, Mama heeft altijd jam (Mother always has some jam), which means a mother always has something for her child, despite shortages. It is a painting of the Virgin Mary in a kebaya and wraparound, with baby Jesus on her lap while sitting on a worn-out chair in the corner of a hut. The composition and gesture of this work were partly inspired by distinguished Dutch painter Pieter Bruegel’s creations of the 16th century. Basoeki’s painting has been compared to those of Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini, 15th century Flemish painter Jan van Eyck and 20th century French painter Bouguereau.
The image of the Virgin Mary in Javanese clothing and setting was indeed popularized by Basoeki through Maria Assumpta. But in the years earlier, a number of painters had a similar idea. The illustration by F.X. Djoemingin, Dyah Maria Ibu Dalem (Virgin Mary the Exalted Mother) for instance, represents the Virgin Mary and Jesus in traditional royal attire and crowns, resembling Javanese royalty. M. Reksaatmadja, a priest from Central Java, painted the Virgin Mary and Jesus in the middle of kakayon-gunungan, a mountain-like figure featured in wayang (shadow puppet) shows.
In the middle of the 20th century, some Indonesian artists came up with their own versions of the Virgin Mary. Among them are painters Sudjojono in Jakarta, Bagong Kussudiardja in Yogyakarta, Tedja Suminar in Surabaya in East Java, Ketut Lasia in Bali and sculptor Gregorius Sidharta.
The most progressive one was prominent ceramic artist F. Widayanto, who visualized the Virgin Mary in Javanese versions several times and also used Javanese titles, like Tumungkul Bekti (With Devotion), Paduka Ibuning Gusti (Exalted Mother of Lord) and Paduka Sang Pinilih (You are the Chosen One). In 2006, he made a Javanese-inspired relief and mosaic of Maria Assumpta for a wall of the Basilica of Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel. This attractive work was initiated by participants of an Indonesian pilgrimage tour coordinated by businessman Joe Kamdani.
“But the Virgin Mary does not only belong to the Javanese people, but rather to all ethnic groups in Indonesia, even the world,” said Jakarta Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo.
So, he gave his full support when in 2015, a Catholic institution organized a competition of paintings, photographs and sculptures themed Virgin Mary, Mother of All Ethnic Groups.
One of the winners was a statue by Robert Gunawan, showing a smiling Virgin Mary flying with her arms wide open.
This joy manifests an apostolic appeal repeated by Pope Francis: Gaudete et exsultate (Rejoice and be glad). The Virgin Mary appears in a long, red-and-white dress with golden batik ornaments. A crown with a map of Indonesia graces her head. On her chest is the national emblem, the Garuda Pancasila.
This Maria Assumpta sculpture conveys a nationalistic message: With great pleasure, the Virgin Mary will always take care of Indonesia as a unitary state upholding the philosophy of the five-principled Pancasila.
— Photos by Agus Dermawan T.
