Indonesian cultural community loses its finest artists<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian cultural community again mourned
\nits prominent figures who died in l996.<\/p>\n
Indonesia lost one of its finest artists when realist painter
\nDullah died on the first day of l996.<\/p>\n
Dullah, 76, died of complications caused by a combination of
\ncardiovascular disease, diabetes and a lower respiratory tract
\ninfection at the Panti Rapih hospital in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Dullah was buried next to his wife, Jan Jaerabby Fatima, at
\nPurwoloyo cemetery in Surakarta.<\/p>\n
In June l993, Dullah suffered a stroke. Even though he lost
\ncontrol of his right hand, this did not discourage the artist
\nfrom working. He succeeded in completing several sketches with
\nhis left hand.<\/p>\n
Due to illness, he had to close his museum, the Dullah
\nMuseum, in Surakarta in l993. The museum holds more than 500
\npaintings, including rare works by Raden Saleh, Abdullah, Basuki
\nAbdullah, Affandi and several other prominent painters.<\/p>\n
The museum also houses 100 important drawings recording the
\nbattle of Yogyakarta between the Tentara Nasional Indonesia
\ntroops and Dutch soldiers. The drawings, which were made by
\nDullah's students in the l940s, have become significant
\nhistorical assets to the nation.<\/p>\n
Dullah, the eldest of five brothers, was born in l9l9. His
\nmother Kati was a batik maker and painter.<\/p>\n
Dullah is known as one of Indonesia's pioneer realist
\npainters. He first picked up the brush at the age of 16 and is
\nknown mainly for his paintings depicting Indonesia's guerrillas
\nduring the independence war against the Dutch colonial forces in
\nthe second half of the 1940s.<\/p>\n
Dullah is known as a revolutionary period painter. Through his
\ncanvases Dullah recorded a series of historic events and the grim
\nmemories of the country's pre-independence period. Dullah
\nproduced 700 paintings, many of which belong to art collectors
\nhere and abroad. Some are on display at his museum.<\/p>\n
One of his most famous paintings, Preparation for Guerrilla
\nWar in Yogyakarta, hangs at the State Palace in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's first president Sukarno appointed Dullah the
\nofficial painter of the presidential palace, a post he held from
\nl950 to l960. Dullah also acted as curator of the president's
\nhuge art collection.<\/p>\n
Sukarno also asked Dullah to take care of and protect
\nIndonesia's original red-and-white flag. Dullah was also ordered
\nto modify the position of the Garuda (giant eagle) in the
\nnation's emblem. Previously, the Garuda gripped the ribbon
\ninscribed with the nation's motto, Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Unity in
\nDiversity). Dullah was ordered to place the ribbon in front of
\nthe eagle's feet.<\/p>\n
His greatest contribution to the local fine art world was his
\ntireless effort to document rare paintings, reproductions and
\nother artwork belonging to the late president Sukarno in four
\nbooks. The books were published by the People's Arts Center in
\nBeijing. "They are the first written documents on Indonesian fine
\narts," Dullah once said.<\/p>\n
Film Director William Umboh Achmad Salim, or Wim Umboh, died
\non Jan. 24 at 63 in his humble home in Depok, about 15 kilometers
\nsouth of Jakarta, after he had been ill for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n
Regarded as one of Indonesia's best directors, Wim brought a
\nhandful of innovations to the local film industry.<\/p>\n
Wim began his directing career with the film Harimau dan
\nMerpati (A Tiger and a Pigeon), followed by Terang Bulan Terang
\ndi Kali (Moonlight on the River) in the early l950s.<\/p>\n
He directed Sepiring Nasi (A Bowl of Rice) in 1955, followed
\nby Djuara Sepatu Roda (The Skating Champion) in 1958.<\/p>\n
In l961, he established a film company called Aries Film with
\nproducer Ani Mambo. Wim directed several films, including Istana
\nHilang (The Lost Palace), in l965.<\/p>\n
In l971, he produced and directed the teenage love story
\nPengantin Remaja (Teenage Bride and Groom), which featured
\nteenage singer Widyawati of Trio Visca and the then unknown
\nSophan Sophian. Widyawati and Sophan later married and are now
\nthe most successful couple in the Indonesian film industry.<\/p>\n
It was Wim who first introduced the black and white
\nCinemascope technique in his film Macan Kemayoran (Kemayoran
\nTiger) in l965. He was also the first director to use color in
\nhis work Sembilan (Nine) in l967. A few years later, he
\nintroduced the use of a 70 millimeter camera for his film Mama
\n(l972).<\/p>\n
Lack of formal education didn't prevent Wim from producing
\nhigh-quality films. Wim eagerly collaborated with other directors
\nto transform his ideas and put them on screen. He often shared
\nideas and experiences with more educated directors like
\nSumandjaya, Djayakusuma and Asrul Sani, and younger directors
\nlike the late Arifin C. Noer, Teguh Karya and Chaerul Umam.<\/p>\n
He worked closely with the late Sumandjaya, a prominent
\nIndonesian director, to create Pengantin Remaja and Mama between
\nl971 and l972.<\/p>\n
Wim and the late director and playwright Arifin C. Noer
\nexperimented with surrealistic ideas in Senyum di Pagi Bulan
\nDesember (Smile on a December Morning) in 1974, and Sesuatu Yang
\nIndah (Something Beautiful) in l976.<\/p>\n
His efforts bore fruit. He garnered film awards from domestic
\nand international film societies. His films Pengemis dan Tukang
\nBecak (The Beggar and the Becak Driver), starring Christine
\nHakim, Perkawinan (The Wedding) and Pengantin Remaja, which won
\nbest film awards at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.<\/p>\n
Born in Watulinrei in North Sulawesi 63 years ago, Wim also
\nreceived several honors from the Indonesian government for his
\ndedication to film, including the Seni Sinema award in l990 and
\nthe Bintang Kesetiaan Profesi in l993.<\/p>\n
Teguh (Slamet Rahardjo) Srimulat, one of Indonesia's masters
\nof comedy, died of heart failure in Surakarta, Central Java, on
\nSept. 22 this year. He is survived by a wife, Djudjuk, four
\nchildren and four grandchildren.<\/p>\n
Teguh was born as Kho Djien Tjong to a humble family of
\nChinese origin in Klaten, Central Java, in l926. He never
\nfinished secondary school as he was so fond of playing music and
\nsinging. Instead of doing his homework, young Teguh joined the
\nMiss Ribut Orion theater group and collaborated with Gesang
\n(composer of Bengawan Solo) in the Bunga Mawar Keroncong group.<\/p>\n
In l950, he married Srimulat, a prima donna of the local
\ntheater group called Gema Malam Srimulat. The couple recruited
\nnumerous members for its new genre of comedy.<\/p>\n
He combined the style of dagelan Mataram (Javanese comedy) and
\nmodern comic elements. He let his members improvise and
\nexperiment with their own plesetan (parody) style of comedy.<\/p>\n
The group attracted audiences all across the country. It also
\nproduced a number of prominent comedians such as Tarsan, Asmuni,
\nthe late Gepeng, Karjo A.C\/D.C., Kadir and Basuki. Srimulat
\nprograms are still shown on the Indosiar television station every
\nThursday night.<\/p>\n
Trisnojuwono, a noted writer and the oldest skydiver in Asia,
\ndied on Oct. 29 of a stroke at his house in Bandung, West Java.
\nHe would have been 71 on Nov. 12. He is survived by four
\nchildren and seven grandchildren.<\/p>\n
Trisno worked as a journalist for Pikiran Rakyat, a leading
\ndaily in the province, since 1961.<\/p>\n
He founded Aves, an association of Indonesian divers. His son,
\nTristian Wirawan, also a member of Aves, died in 1980 at the age
\nof 24 after his parachute failed to open.<\/p>\n
Trisno had logged more than 1,000 skydives since he started in
\n1950. He was a member of the SOS-USA (Skydivers Over Sixty in the
\nUnited States).<\/p>\n
During the independence years of 1945-1950, Trisno fought in
\nthe Armed Forces. He was member of the Mataram People's Army, the
\nStudent Corps, and the Siliwangi Army. In 1950, he was selected
\nto take part in combat intelligence training in Bandung and
\nsurrounding areas.<\/p>\n
He started writing in 1950 after befriending writers S.M.
\nArdan, Soekanto S.A., Ajip Rosjidi and playwright Syumandjaja,<\/p>\n
He won a number of literary prizes, including one for his
\nshort story Tinggul published in his anthology Laki-laki dan
\nMesiu (Man and Gunpowder). One of his more recent works is
\nSurat-surat Cinta (Love Letters), a novel which tells of a
\nmarried man's affair with a student in Bandung. (raw)<\/p>",
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