Indonesian cultural community loses its finest artists

Indonesian cultural community loses its finest artists

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian cultural community again mourned
its prominent figures who died in l996.

Indonesia lost one of its finest artists when realist painter
Dullah died on the first day of l996.

Dullah, 76, died of complications caused by a combination of
cardiovascular disease, diabetes and a lower respiratory tract
infection at the Panti Rapih hospital in Yogyakarta.

Dullah was buried next to his wife, Jan Jaerabby Fatima, at
Purwoloyo cemetery in Surakarta.

In June l993, Dullah suffered a stroke. Even though he lost
control of his right hand, this did not discourage the artist
from working. He succeeded in completing several sketches with
his left hand.

Due to illness, he had to close his museum, the Dullah
Museum, in Surakarta in l993. The museum holds more than 500
paintings, including rare works by Raden Saleh, Abdullah, Basuki
Abdullah, Affandi and several other prominent painters.

The museum also houses 100 important drawings recording the
battle of Yogyakarta between the Tentara Nasional Indonesia
troops and Dutch soldiers. The drawings, which were made by
Dullah's students in the l940s, have become significant
historical assets to the nation.

Dullah, the eldest of five brothers, was born in l9l9. His
mother Kati was a batik maker and painter.

Dullah is known as one of Indonesia's pioneer realist
painters. He first picked up the brush at the age of 16 and is
known mainly for his paintings depicting Indonesia's guerrillas
during the independence war against the Dutch colonial forces in
the second half of the 1940s.

Dullah is known as a revolutionary period painter. Through his
canvases Dullah recorded a series of historic events and the grim
memories of the country's pre-independence period. Dullah
produced 700 paintings, many of which belong to art collectors
here and abroad. Some are on display at his museum.

One of his most famous paintings, Preparation for Guerrilla
War in Yogyakarta, hangs at the State Palace in Jakarta.

Indonesia's first president Sukarno appointed Dullah the
official painter of the presidential palace, a post he held from
l950 to l960. Dullah also acted as curator of the president's
huge art collection.

Sukarno also asked Dullah to take care of and protect
Indonesia's original red-and-white flag. Dullah was also ordered
to modify the position of the Garuda (giant eagle) in the
nation's emblem. Previously, the Garuda gripped the ribbon
inscribed with the nation's motto, Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Unity in
Diversity). Dullah was ordered to place the ribbon in front of
the eagle's feet.

His greatest contribution to the local fine art world was his
tireless effort to document rare paintings, reproductions and
other artwork belonging to the late president Sukarno in four
books. The books were published by the People's Arts Center in
Beijing. "They are the first written documents on Indonesian fine
arts," Dullah once said.

Film Director William Umboh Achmad Salim, or Wim Umboh, died
on Jan. 24 at 63 in his humble home in Depok, about 15 kilometers
south of Jakarta, after he had been ill for more than 20 years.

Regarded as one of Indonesia's best directors, Wim brought a
handful of innovations to the local film industry.

Wim began his directing career with the film Harimau dan
Merpati (A Tiger and a Pigeon), followed by Terang Bulan Terang
di Kali (Moonlight on the River) in the early l950s.

He directed Sepiring Nasi (A Bowl of Rice) in 1955, followed
by Djuara Sepatu Roda (The Skating Champion) in 1958.

In l961, he established a film company called Aries Film with
producer Ani Mambo. Wim directed several films, including Istana
Hilang (The Lost Palace), in l965.

In l971, he produced and directed the teenage love story
Pengantin Remaja (Teenage Bride and Groom), which featured
teenage singer Widyawati of Trio Visca and the then unknown
Sophan Sophian. Widyawati and Sophan later married and are now
the most successful couple in the Indonesian film industry.

It was Wim who first introduced the black and white
Cinemascope technique in his film Macan Kemayoran (Kemayoran
Tiger) in l965. He was also the first director to use color in
his work Sembilan (Nine) in l967. A few years later, he
introduced the use of a 70 millimeter camera for his film Mama
(l972).

Lack of formal education didn't prevent Wim from producing
high-quality films. Wim eagerly collaborated with other directors
to transform his ideas and put them on screen. He often shared
ideas and experiences with more educated directors like
Sumandjaya, Djayakusuma and Asrul Sani, and younger directors
like the late Arifin C. Noer, Teguh Karya and Chaerul Umam.

He worked closely with the late Sumandjaya, a prominent
Indonesian director, to create Pengantin Remaja and Mama between
l971 and l972.

Wim and the late director and playwright Arifin C. Noer
experimented with surrealistic ideas in Senyum di Pagi Bulan
Desember (Smile on a December Morning) in 1974, and Sesuatu Yang
Indah (Something Beautiful) in l976.

His efforts bore fruit. He garnered film awards from domestic
and international film societies. His films Pengemis dan Tukang
Becak (The Beggar and the Becak Driver), starring Christine
Hakim, Perkawinan (The Wedding) and Pengantin Remaja, which won
best film awards at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.

Born in Watulinrei in North Sulawesi 63 years ago, Wim also
received several honors from the Indonesian government for his
dedication to film, including the Seni Sinema award in l990 and
the Bintang Kesetiaan Profesi in l993.

Teguh (Slamet Rahardjo) Srimulat, one of Indonesia's masters
of comedy, died of heart failure in Surakarta, Central Java, on
Sept. 22 this year. He is survived by a wife, Djudjuk, four
children and four grandchildren.

Teguh was born as Kho Djien Tjong to a humble family of
Chinese origin in Klaten, Central Java, in l926. He never
finished secondary school as he was so fond of playing music and
singing. Instead of doing his homework, young Teguh joined the
Miss Ribut Orion theater group and collaborated with Gesang
(composer of Bengawan Solo) in the Bunga Mawar Keroncong group.

In l950, he married Srimulat, a prima donna of the local
theater group called Gema Malam Srimulat. The couple recruited
numerous members for its new genre of comedy.

He combined the style of dagelan Mataram (Javanese comedy) and
modern comic elements. He let his members improvise and
experiment with their own plesetan (parody) style of comedy.

The group attracted audiences all across the country. It also
produced a number of prominent comedians such as Tarsan, Asmuni,
the late Gepeng, Karjo A.C/D.C., Kadir and Basuki. Srimulat
programs are still shown on the Indosiar television station every
Thursday night.

Trisnojuwono, a noted writer and the oldest skydiver in Asia,
died on Oct. 29 of a stroke at his house in Bandung, West Java.
He would have been 71 on Nov. 12. He is survived by four
children and seven grandchildren.

Trisno worked as a journalist for Pikiran Rakyat, a leading
daily in the province, since 1961.

He founded Aves, an association of Indonesian divers. His son,
Tristian Wirawan, also a member of Aves, died in 1980 at the age
of 24 after his parachute failed to open.

Trisno had logged more than 1,000 skydives since he started in
1950. He was a member of the SOS-USA (Skydivers Over Sixty in the
United States).

During the independence years of 1945-1950, Trisno fought in
the Armed Forces. He was member of the Mataram People's Army, the
Student Corps, and the Siliwangi Army. In 1950, he was selected
to take part in combat intelligence training in Bandung and
surrounding areas.

He started writing in 1950 after befriending writers S.M.
Ardan, Soekanto S.A., Ajip Rosjidi and playwright Syumandjaja,

He won a number of literary prizes, including one for his
short story Tinggul published in his anthology Laki-laki dan
Mesiu (Man and Gunpowder). One of his more recent works is
Surat-surat Cinta (Love Letters), a novel which tells of a
married man's affair with a student in Bandung. (raw)