Museum Widayat preserves legacy of Indonesian Art

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): In the quiet village of Mungkid not far from Borobudur stands a large white structure, monumental but not imposing. Its appearance, which is similar to a bastion, has a purpose; it is in fact one of the foremost bastions of the fine arts in Central Java, the Museum Seni Lukis Indonesia or more popularly known as the Museum Widayat.

A gigantic painting entitled Godo-gado, measuring 339 x 410 cm, extends down the atrium of the museum, welcoming visitors entering. The painting is the work of Widayat, a master of Indonesian art, and the proprietor of the museum.

There are two levels to this museum. The lower level is dedicated to the work of Widayat dating from 1952 to 1997. On the upper level, Widayat exhibits works of his former instructors and people who have influenced his art, including Kartono Yudhokusumo, Hendra, Rusli, Soedarso, Sobrat, Trubus, and Kusnadi; his friends, including Fadjar Sidik, Bagong Kussudiardjo, Nashar, and Sunaryo; and his former students, including Subroto, Nyoman Gunarsa, Suwaji, Dadang Christanto, Heri Dono, Faizal, Ivan Sagito, Eddie Hara, and Ipong Purnama Sidhi.

The mission of Museum Widayat is to introduce and preserve the art of Widayat for local and international aficionados of fine art by displaying his work from all periods of his career and various media. It also intended to preserve works of art by other important artists, including young artists, which can be used as a reference for future generations. The idea for the museum originated upon Widayat's return from Japan in 1962.

While teaching painting at Yogyakarta's Institut Seni Indonesia (Indonesian Arts Institute), he found that the work of the students was quite good. When students made their final presentation, there would be about 20 paintings, and there would be a couple of works that the painter found interesting.

By 1988, Widayat had managed to accumulate about 400 works presented to him by student graduates of the art school. At that time, the works of students were not yet marketable. So, instead of selling the paintings, the students were happy if their works having obtained good grades, were collected by their master. If the works were not picked up by Widayat, the students would take them to their master's home.

The head of department, Fadjar Sidik, thought "How wonderful if this could be presented in a museum!" Widayat also had the same idea, and therefore he collected the works carefully. Fortunately the master already had an empty house that could be used to store the paintings.

"We tried our best to take care of the paintings, so that none of them were damaged; although of course some works which were done on lower quality canvases did get slightly damaged," said Mrs. Widayat. "Actually, collecting the best student works was also done by other instructors, but many of those works became damaged because it was difficult to take care of them," she added.

Their intention of building a museum was further enhanced in 1982 when they visited various museums in Europe. They were particularly impressed with the Kroller Muller Museum situated in the countryside outside Arnhem in the Netherlands in the middle of what was once a hunting forest known as the Hooge Veluwe. After that the Widayats were obsessed with the idea of building a museum in the countryside and searched for a space to find land outside Yogyakarta.

A path to making the dream of establishing the museum come true was slowly cleared. In 1988 when the prices of paintings suddenly reached rather high levels, a female collector from Jakarta bought a Widayat painting titled Monkey Forest for Rp 10 million (about US$10,000 according to the exchange rate at the time). With the money from the sale, the Widayats planned to go on their haj pilgrimage. The Rp 4 million that had been made by the woman as a down payment was used for the down payment for the holy pilgrimage. However, the woman, who was suffering cancer, passed away, and the painting was returned.

Fortunately, not long thereafter, another Jakarta collector bought six paintings and paid US$30,000 in cash. This money was finally used for the haj pilgrimage, and thereafter everything seemed to progress rapidly.

Widayat's exhibition at Bentara Budaya, Jakarta, was a huge success and the proceeds from the sale were used to buy land in Yogyakarta. However, there were parties who were against the creation of a museum there, and spread rumors that a huge cultural center was going to be built on the site. People from the neighboring village, deceived by the rumors, perceived the museum as a mega project, which would divide up the village's rice fields. They demanded that the museum be equipped with a tunnel to reconnect the divided fields, and also wanted to retain the parking concession for the museum.

Just as problems started to emerge with this land in Yogyakarta, Kartika Affandi intended to sell her land near Borobudur. The Widayats bought this land instead. However, the lurah (chief of the village), who initially promised to permit the construction of the museum on that site, later changed his mind. Finally, after the Widayats threatened to find land outside the district, the lurah offered to swap their land for another lot in Mungkid. This site faced east and seemed perfect for a museum.

After Widayat's exhibition at Padma, Bali, in 1991, the Widayats had accumulated enough funds to start the museum. It seemed that the path had been delineated, and for the Widayats the museum was God's gift.

After much hard work, that same year construction on the museum was started. The design of the building was assigned to H. Eji Sukeji, a Widayat acquaintance from his haj pilgrimage back in 1988. The construction was completed the following year. The Widayat Museum was opened in 1994.

Nuance

Despite its fortress-like appearance, the museum's architecture was actually carefully designed. The fortress-like design was mainly presented for security reasons. However, once visitors enter the building, their perception that the museum is housed in an overpowering bastion is completely altered.

The design of the interior spaces of the museum has taken into consideration aspects of museum lighting. Natural light is introduced into the niches that are designed to showcase the paintings using fiberglass-clad skylights. The use of ultraviolet proof fiberglass ensures the conservation of the paintings, while the use of skylights allows enough light to enter the building, without having to resort to excessive artificial light.

Hence, during the day visitors can view Widayat's most recent gigantic paintings such as Sakura, Nabi Sulaiman (Prophet Salomon), Merapi Meletus (Merapi Erupted), Perahu Nabi Nuh (Noah's Ark), and Ikan Laut Dalam (Fish of the Deep Sea), as well as his other paintings, that are each placed in these niches in the comfort of natural light.

To ensure further environmental comfort, a unique system of air circulation was introduced into the design of the building. Hundreds of air ventilation holes are placed on the lower part of the museum walls to allow dynamic and natural air circulation, further allowing the building's interior to remain cool throughout the day without electrical air conditioning devices. Therefore, even on the hottest day visitors to the Museum Widayat will remain comfortable when viewing paintings in the main building.

While most of Widayat's art works are paintings, his works on ceramics are also displayed at the museum. In fact, the museum features a balance of two and three-dimensional art. Sculptures by But Mochtar, Carasco, Syahrizal, Samsudin, and Komroden Haro as well as other interesting three-dimensional works of craft are scattered in various places around the museum building. Complementing the museum's main building is a well-groomed sculpture garden dotted with various outdoor sculptures.

This weekend the Museum Widayat will officially open its latest addition to the complex, Galeri Widayat, an gigantic 800 square-meter temporary exhibition gallery that can be used to hold exhibitions in which the works can also be sold. Certainly, the cost of museum maintenance is quite substantial, and can become quite a burden. Therefore, the Widayats have tried to look for other means of support. Seeing business prospects in the establishment of a gallery, the Widayats hope that the gallery would be able to help support the museum. Yet, the Widayats have carefully made a distinction between the Galeri Widayat and the Museum Widayat so as to ensure the museum's integrity as an academic institution.

The Museum Widayat is strategically located near Borobudur. A visit thus enriches the cultural experience of visitors to the oldest Buddhist mandala-stupa in Indonesia. The Galeri Widayat will also make this even more interesting. For those who are interested in Indonesian art, a visit to the Museum Widayat is a must. Not only does the museum preserve and present the works of a living legend in the Indonesian art scene, but it also preserves a legacy of Indonesian art.