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.