Lim Wasim, Sukarno's forgotten palace artist

Lim Wasim, Sukarno's forgotten palace artist

Lila Fitri Aly, Contributor, Jakarta

When everything related to Indonesia's first president Sukarno
was virtually banished from public view, palace artist Lim Wasim
also seemed to disappear from memory.

Installed as palace artist in 1961, Lim served in his post for
seven years. Preceding him were Dullah and Lee Man-fong.

Just like other employees of the palace, Lim had to work daily
and keep regular office hours. As an artist, he felt tortured by
the bureaucracy. However, as he felt like he was helping the
country, he made the necessary sacrifices.

"I was proud to work as the palace artist at such a young age.
I wanted to gain experience," said Lim, who was born in Bandung
in 1929 as the second of seven siblings.

Before becoming a palace artist, Lim had become acquainted
with Sukarno while working as an assistant to Lee on the mural
Puspita dan Margasatwa (Flowers and Animals) in the Hotel
Indonesia's Ramayana Restaurant.

The mural still graces the restaurant today. Lee and Lim only
had six months to complete the 11-by-4 meter mural in honor of
the 1962 Asian Games, the first Games to be staged in Jakarta.

Lim's mother was Hong Keng Sing and his father Lim Tjie, who
owned the Hoa Sang restaurant in Bandung.

When Japan occupied Indonesia in 1942, Lim had to leave
school, and it was during this time he began to teach himself how
to paint. His first art teacher was Kok Tekkang. After
independence was declared on Aug. 17, 1945, he began to study
painting with Sudjana Kerton, as well as taking lessons from
Mochtar Apin and Abedy, all in Bandung. Later he studied at the
Central Fine Art Institute in Beijing. He used all this knowledge
and skill to become a palace artist.

However, he sometimes found it difficult to please Sukarno.

"He had a lot of wishes and had very good taste in art," he
said. The former president was a graduate of the Bandung Insti
tute of Technology and had a great deal of appreciation for art.
If he found a painting not to his liking, he would ask Lim to
tinker with it and make changes. This was a first for Lim, having
to redo paintings to suit the tastes of such a demanding critic.

As the palace artist, Lim constantly had to be ready to
receive instructions from the president. His main job was to look
after Sukarno's collection of paintings, some of which were in
bad shape with peeling paint or insect-damaged frames.

"Sukarno did not like to see paintings in that condition. The
frames had to be quickly replaced," he said.

Sukarno also asked Lim to paint portraits from photographs,
including one of the president's mother, Idayu Nyoman Rai. Lim
had to study the black-and-white photographs and then produce a
color portrait.

One of his other jobs was to select and hang paintings in each
room of the palace. Of course, Sukarno was also involved in this
process. He also had to create paintings that Sukarno would give
as gifts when he traveled abroad. All of this can be found in Lim
Wasim a Palace Artist, a biography by Agus Dermawan T.

During Sukarno's reign, the president collected about 1,000
paintings. Some were hung in the different palaces and others in
his own workshop, also located in the palace. In the workshop,
the paintings were arranged neatly on shelves for the president's
enjoyment. Some of the paintings were part of Sukarno's private
collection while others belonged to the state. Some were gifts
from home and abroad. Paintings that the president did not like
were kept in the palace warehouse.

"Sukarno liked realist-naturalist paintings and did not like
contemporary paintings. His favorite works were by Basuki
Abdullah, who was very fond of painting beautiful women and
beautiful scenery. He also liked Lee Man-fong, Dullah and the
theme of struggle in S. Sudjojono's works," said Lim, who has two
children, Agus Budiman and Rina Budiman.

Sukarno's workshop at the palace was completely fitted out
with all the amenities. If the president wanted to watch Lim
work, he would ask Lim to paint in this workshop. Of course, Lim
had his own workshop at the palace with all the necessary
equipment.

Lim had to arrive at the palace before 8 a.m. If he came late,
he could not see Bung Karno and would not know what he had to do
that particular day. The president always gave instructions to
palace employees before 8 a.m., before he began receiving his
guests.

Lim worked from Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and
received Rp 4,000 a month. At that time, the president earned Rp
20,000 a month. Lim also got 30 kilograms of rice, a tin of
butter and two kilograms of granulated sugar.

As inflation worsened, his monthly salary was soon just enough
to pay for a becak (pedicab) to take him back and forth between
his home in Cideng and the palace.

At home, Lim would create naturalist paintings which he sold
to supplement his palace income. He could make two or three
paintings a week. His wife, Alisma Sudja, whom he married in
1967, was a baker.

When there was a lot of work at the palace, Sukarno would
order the employees to stay until 4 p.m. Sometimes, after Lim had
already arrived back at home, a presidential aide would show up
at his house and ask him to return to the palace as some work was
waiting for him there.

When Bung Karno left the palace in 1967, there was nobody to
give him directions. Between 1967 and 1968, Lim showed up at the
palace and read the newspaper all day.

"By early 1967, Sukarno was already isolated," he said. Then
the state secretary summoned him and asked him about his
activities. As he was no longer needed, he was dismissed without
compensation. He still has all the letters relating to his
dismissal.

Lim remains fond of Sukarno for his great passion for art. He
regrets that the president's dream of building a Fine Arts Museum
-- on the area stretching from the Pasar Baru post office to Jl.
Gunung Sahari in Central Jakarta -- has never been realized.

Sukarno always said Indonesia produced wonderful fine art but
had no fine art museum. Dewi Sukarno was scheduled to implement
this project but the twists of history ended the dream.

But Lim is still positive that fine art is flourishing in
Indonesia today thanks to the great influence of Sukarno.