No rest for the energetic Old Master

No rest for the energetic Old Master

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Magelang, Central Java

For painting maestro Widayat, age is just irrelevant.

At 83, he remains passionately engrossed in painting -- and
very productive -- even though he is not as vigorous as when he
was young.

Born in Kutoarjo, Central Java, on March 9, 1919, Widayat has
seen his physical ability decline as the years advance.

He needs a rattan stick to help him walk steadily. Even so,
his bright face emanates a youthful spirit and energy.

"I always pray to Allah the Almighty for longevity. I want to
continue painting until the year 2010," Widayat told The Jakarta
Post at his spacious home, built on 7,000 square meters of land
in Mungkid village. In this complex he has also built a museum,
gallery, and art shop.

The father of 11 children, grandfather of 22 and great
grandfather of three never lets a single day go by without
picking up a brush. Widayat was married twice, to Soewarni and
Sumini, who have both passed away.

He gets up very early in the morning to say his morning prayer
(Shubuh) and subsequently takes a short nap until about 6.30
before he does his morning exercise and breakfast. He starts
painting at 9 a.m. for about three hours.

After taking a rest for two hours in the afternoon he paints
again at 2 p.m. for two hours. Widayat has yet another painting
session in the evening before he finally goes to bed at about 9
p.m.

These busy days explain why over the last nine years Widayat
has creates some 250 paintings of various sizes and media, mostly
on paper and canvas. He has a remarkable average of 27 paintings
a month.

"This is quite an achievement, especially for a man of his
age," says Widayat Museum director Fajar "Pungki" Purnomo Sidi,
who is also one of Widayat's sons.

Of the 250 paintings currently on display at Widayat Gallery,
80 are sketches on paper while the remaining 170 are oil on
canvas. The smallest is a 20cm by 30cm sketch on paper, while the
biggest is a 5m by 2m oil on canvas entitled Pengungsian
(Refuge). The exhibition runs until March 30 this year.

Fellow artists and close friends of Widayat know him as a
speedy painter who can complete a painting in just two hours. Two
days is the longest Widayat will spend on a single work.

"He has always been the fastest among us even since
the first days we studied at ASRI," says artist Edy Sunarso. ASRI
is the Indonesian Fine Art Academy (ASRI) in Yogyakarta, where
Widayat was among the first students in 1950.

It was at ASRI -- now called ISI (the Indonesian Institute of
the Arts) -- that Widayat obtained his first formal education in
fine art. Until then, he had learned painting techniques in
Bandung when he was sent to the city to take a short course on
mechanics.

He hated the course, quit and began studying painting
techniques from a local artist, Mulyono.

After moving to Yogyakarta and completing his formal studies,
Widayat worked as a land surveyor with a rubber plantation
company in Palembang, South Sumatra, before becoming a lecturer
at ASRI.

He retired from teaching at 65, but never stopped painting.

Over Widayat's long career, there have been significant
changes in the details, colors and objects of his paintings.

Widayat, who was once very well known for his figurative art,
featuring mostly flora and fauna, in fact started his career as a
realist painter specializing in landscapes.

Later, he concentrated on painting beautiful women. Singer
Krisdayanti and TV actress Ine Febriyanti were among those he
picked as his models.

"It's probably because I missed my wives," he says.

He also has for some time been working with abstract
paintings. "I started to do so because, as I see it, people began
to like abstract paintings and look for them," Widayat says,
adding that his abstracts were unique.

"I call mine 'magic figurative abstract' because you can still
find the elements of figures in them. And I call it magic because
I use magic colors, dark and dim primitive colors."

Does he feel he has accomplished everything? "No.

"As a painter, I do want to contribute something to the
country, especially Yogyakarta. I want to make it the center of
fine art in Asia, just like France is the center of fine art in
the Western world."

This is the reason behind the artist's decision to initiate a
"Widayat Award" for creative artists. The award, he hopes, will
encourage artists, in a competitive way, to enhance Indonesia's
role in the international fine arts scene.