Artist Widayat passes away, aged 83

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.