Museum Widayat preserves legacy of Indonesian Art

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.