'Bung' Karno, patron of Indonesian fine art

By Agus Dermawan T

JAKARTA (JP): Had Sukarno not been president, his name would have gone down in the annals of Indonesian fine art. He indeed expressed a desire to take up painting seriously if he had to give up state-related political duties.

Undeniably, he was a good watercolorist, just as he said in Bung Karno Penyambung Lidah Rakyat (Bung Karno, Spokesman of the People), his autobiography as told to Cindy Adams.

Sukarno greatly regretted the fact that he did not become a painter. He found some relief, however, by collecting paintings and helping promote the growth of Indonesian fine art.

Thanks to his role, Indonesia's fine arts, particularly painting and sculpture, were encouraged to come to the forefront of the national character-building efforts between 1948 and 1965.

Actually, there is a more important label for Sukarno in relation to the history of Indonesian fine art. At one time, he could have been considered a trendsetter in the collection of fine art in Indonesia.

Institution

When Bataviasche Kunstkring (Batavia Art Circle) was established in Jakarta in the 1930s, and other such groups saw the light of day in Bandung, Surabaya and Semarang, Bung Karno immediately became involved.

He did not involve himself in these Dutch-Indies art institutions in terms of creativity. Instead, he criticized and perhaps opposed these institutions because of his anti-Dutch beliefs. But he soon gave up this pursuit to devote his time to his chief priority: the struggle for Indonesia's independence.

When the Dutch Indies government surrendered to the Japanese Occupational Authority in 1942, Sukarno saw another opportunity to get involved in art. He set up Poetera (Poesat Tenaga Rakjat, or the Center for People's Power), along with Ki Hadjar Dewantara, Mohamad Hatta and Haji Mas Mansyur. He established a painting section in the center and appointed S. Sudjojono, Affandi, Agus Djaya and Basoeki Abdullah as instructors.

Poetera was set up as a counter to Japan's cultural organization Keimin Bunka Sidhoso. Although he was one of the founders of Poetera, Bung Karno also supported Keika Bunka Sidhoso because he thought this organization paid sufficient attention to the indigenous potential in the fine arts.

When he was appointed president in 1945, a fine arts development program was one of his obsessions. On the first anniversary of Indonesia's independence, Sukarno suggested that painter Hendra Gunawan hold a solo exhibition, saying that this exhibition would stimulate other Indonesian painters. Hendra agreed and his solo exhibition, opened by Sukarno, was held in Yogyakarta in 1946.

In 1950, Bung Karno appointed Dullah as Palace Artist. This appointment clearly reflected his desire to continue stimulating artists to tap their talent. Obviously, Indonesian artists were elated to learn of the appointment of Dullah.

Sukarno continued to promote the growth of fine art institutions across the country. He visited the People's Artists Workshop and the Indonesian Fine Art College in Yogyakarta. He also attended an exhibition organized by Yin Hua, a Chinese art organization led by Henk Ngantung.

He would also drop in at the workshops of Henk Ngantung, Ernest Dezentje, Le Mayeur and Ida Bagus Made, a Balinese painter. In his visits to these workshops, Sukarno always took with him relatives, businesspeople and ministers to encourage them to collect art works.

"We had an exciting discussion about art at the edge of the beautiful pool at Bogor Palace. This is really an indelible part of my memory," said Dullah, who served as Palace Artist between 1950 and 1960.

Commercial institutions

Bung Karno knew that the presence of creative institutions alone was not enough to boost Indonesian fine art. He was aware that commercial institutions were also needed to distribute the art. So he asked one of his friends, Tjio Tek Djien, who had a reputation as an art dealer, to help distribute art works. Tjio agreed and at the same time also set up an art studio.

Many painters worked at this studio, which was located somewhere in Cideng, Jakarta, and got paid daily. As Tjio's studio flourished, a number of galleries and art shops in Jakarta also sprang up. Three of the artists who worked at this studio were Trubus, Thoyib and Lim Wasim. In 1961, Wasim and Lee Man- fong would be appointed Palace Artists to replace Dullah.

In Bali, Sukarno called on Jim Pandy to set up a gallery. Pandy was an expatriate who lived in Bali. He had been a guide for the Thomas Cook tourist agency, and prior to World War II he often took groups of international tourists to Lake Toba, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surakarta and Bali. After the end of World War II, he chose to stay in Bali.

Bung Karno saw in Pandy someone who could promote Indonesia's paintings to foreigners. Pandy, who had received the same suggestion from his close friend Arie Smit, agreed to Sukarno's idea. So, Pandy's Gallery was built on the Sanur coast. The opening of the gallery encouraged the establishment of various art shops and galleries in Bali.

Setting the trend

In the history of Indonesian fine art, Bung Karno played a role not only in the establishment of institutions, but also in setting art trends. It was in this latter role that Sukarno earned the title "patron of the arts".

The following example shows Sukarno's influence in determining the path fine arts in Indonesia was to take.

One day in 1961, Lim Wasim received an order from Bung Karno to paint a nude woman. The president gave him a postcard-sized black-and-white photograph to use as a model.

A few days later the painting was completed and Sukarno asked Wasim to return the photograph. Reportedly, he then gave the photograph to a sculptor, Sulistyo, and asked him to make a life- size stone sculpture of the woman.

The painting and the statue were later included in a book called Paintings and Sculptures in President Sukarno's Collection. Wasim's oil painting, on a 124 cm x 64 cm canvas, is called Hendak Mandi (Going to Have a Bath), while Sulistyo's sculpture is titled Bergaya (Posing in Style).

Bung Karno often warned against viewing a painting only from the aspect of morality. A painting must be viewed esthetically, he said. He also often quoted the poet Kahlil Gibran: If a person uses his morality only as his dress, the best thing for him is to stay naked.

Sukarno's fondness for paintings featuring nudes slowly spread through Indonesia. This movement seemed controversial at first and caused puzzlement among the public, who had trouble understanding how Sukarno, who intensively campaigned for the kebaya and championed the national culture, could be a buff of paintings of people in the buff.

Art albums published in 1956, 1961 and 1964 clearly showed the president's fondness for nudity. It followed that many Indonesian collectors began to hang paintings depicting nudity. Tjio's workshop received numerous orders for such paintings from high- class art aficionados. In the middle to lower classes, paintings depicting nude women also became quite popular. Many such paintings were conspicuously hung on trees or displayed along sidewalks. It is obvious that the public's fondness for such paintings continues today. Stories such as these can be found in a book titled Lim Wasim, a Presidential Palace Painter.

Apart from encouraging art buffs to collect paintings depicting nudity, Bung Karno was also strongly attracted to paintings depicting heroism. One day in 1961, Sukarno thought that a painting of Gen. Sudirman by Joes Supadyo was missing from the palace. All of the palace staffers, including the head of the presidential household affairs, Hardjo Wardojo, were assembled and accused of "stealing" the painting.

Bung Karno instructed Wasim, who had just replaced Dullah as Palace Artist, to find the painting. So the presidential palaces in four cities were scoured. The missing painting was eventually found at the State Secretariat in Jakarta. When he saw the painting again, Sukarno could not conceal his happiness. His face reflected great relief and his smile was worn broadly on his face.

Bung Karno was drawn to paintings depicting heroism because he was always engaged in struggle. He devoted his life, blood and sweat to the well-being of the motherland and the nation.

And it was from Sukarno that the art community became aware that "paintings of heroes" constituted another type of art.

Paintings that dwell on heroism continue to be collected, and some of these paintings are copies of original works in Bung Karno's collection.

They are usually painted by nonacademic artists and unknown painters. The most frequently copied paintings include Pangeran Diponegoro by Basoeki Abdullah and Gajah Mada by Henk Ngantung.

These copies have proudly found their way into houses, offices and buildings. Bung Karno successfully inspired the public with heroism through paintings. He also successfully confirmed to the public that paintings with heroic themes could become assets in the creative arts.

Later Bung Karno had these themes of heroism manifested in statues placed throughout the capital. Jakarta is now home to imposing statues that make it stand out in the world community, and all thanks to Bung Karno's initiative and encouragement.

(The writer is a fine art observer. He has compiled a book called 2001 Presidential Palace Collection)