Artist Widayat passes away, aged 83

Amir Sidharta, Contributor, Jakarta

The painter, Widayat, passed away last Saturday, June 22, 2002, at 11:10 pm. He was being treated at the Medistra Hospital, Jakarta, for a weak heart. He was 83 years of age.

The artist was born in Kutoarjo, Central Java, on March 9, 1919. During the Japanese occupation he worked as a cartographer for the railway service in Palembang, drawing maps of railroad routes throughout Sumatra. Later, when the Indonesian Revolutionary War broke out, he entered military service. He became a first lieutenant with the Indonesian Army in South Sumatra.

From a very young age Widayat showed his artistic talents. When he was very young, while waiting for this mother working in the marketplace, he used to draw images on the ground using sticks. Yet, only after the war was over did he enter the Indonesian Fine Arts Academy (Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia - ASRI). In 1952, along with other artists, he established the Young Indonesian Painters' studio.

After graduating from the arts academy he entered the faculty and continued to teach until he retired in 1988. We was known as an inspirational teacher who let his students express themselves freely according to their own style.

His style was very much influenced by Kartono Yudhokusumo and Sudibyo. Their style, which was developed from meticulous decorative motifs common in traditional crafts, became known as decorativism, often dubbed "decora-magical" by some observers.

Widayat was a tremendously profilic artist. Although he worked mainly with oils and acrylics on canvas, as well as watercolors on paper, he also used various media, including drawing on ceramics and making woodblock prints. He was also an artist with a kind of Midas touch.

It seemed that everything he touched turned to art. While attending meetings that bored him, he would draw images on the paper plates used to offer snacks or on the paper napkins. After the meeting was over, attendees of the meeting would ask if they could keep the makeshift art pieces as souvenirs. Widayat was an artist who could not sit still without churning out works of art.

In 1994, with the proceeds from the sale of his art, the painter established the Museum H. Widayat in Mungkid, Central Java, not far from the Borobudur temple. The museum houses the best of his work plus his collection of work from his colleagues, teachers and students.

Until before his death, Widayat frequently attended exhibition openings. He did not care whether the exhibitions featured the work of established artists, or young, fresh graduates. He claimed that he always tried to attend art exhibitions because he needed the challenge offered by "his competition" and intended to learn from the young artists.

The artist was very creative, frequently holding exhibitions of his work around the country. In the year 2000, he held a grand exhibition of his art, where he proved to the Indonesian art world that even at the age of 81, he was still a prolific painter. Not only did he show the meticulous craftsmanship that characterized his paintings, but he also produced work on gigantic canvases. In this exhibition he also displayed a denim scroll depicting his life's experiences. Measuring 138 meters in length, the scroll is the longest painting in the country.

Unfortunately, not long after the landmark exhibition, he lost his beloved wife, Mien, who was also was the artist's manager. Although Widayat continued to paint even after his wife's death, his health started to decline.

Now the Indonesian artist Widayat rests in peace beside the grave of his beloved wife Mien at the Artists' Graveyard in Imogiri, south of Yogyakarta. He will be remembered as an artist with a relentlessly creative spirit.