Painter Otto Djaya: Alive and kicking
Painter Otto Djaya: Alive and kicking
By Amir Sidharta
JAKARTA (JP): The most astonishing aspect of the exhibition of Otto Djaya's paintings currently at the Taman Ismail Marzuki was that many of the exhibited works were dated 1995.
Nothing is terribly peculiar about that, but I had learned from an article in Modern Indonesian Art: Three Generations of Tradition and Change 1945-1990, published for the 1990 Festival of Indonesia in the United States, that Otto Djaya died in 1989. Another, more recent, exhibition catalog states the painter passed away long before his elder brother Agus Djaya. This catalog listed Agus Djaya's death in 1993 while the article in Modern Indonesian Art notes he lived between 1913 and 1990.
With this information in mind, I even considered the possibility that I was viewing paintings by a different artist with the same famous name. However, the works themselves leave no doubt that they are indeed the creations of the one and only (and very alive) Otto Djaya.
Otto Djayasuntara was born in Rangkasbitung, Banten, West Java in 1916. Not much is known about his early life. His brother Agus Djaya and Indonesian master Soedjono founded the Persagi art association, and Otto was associated with the group. During the Japanese occupation (1942-1945) his brother headed the Art Division of the Keimin Bunka Shidoso cultural center, while Otto became his deputy. Later, as an officer of Pembela Tanah Air (Defender of the Country), he was assigned to record his military training experience in paintings.
Just after the proclamation of Indonesian independence, the two brothers spent a few years in Europe, where they earned considerable recognition. It was apparent from their work that the brothers influenced each other.
In the mid-1950s, Agus sought inspiration in Bali, while Otto went to Semarang. He also maintained close contact with Jakarta.
Otto's legends and myths theme, which was influenced by temple reliefs, has not appeared since at least the 1950s. Otto's work has also been included in The Paintings and Statues of the Collection President Sukarno of the Republic of Indonesia album, published in the 1960s. He continued to paint the same theme in the same style.
Myths and legends have become so much part of his identity that he joked about his fascination or even obsession with heavenly nymphs in his witty self-portrait. Here, he portrays himself as a stereotypical artist, equipped with an artist's palette, barrette, red shirt and pipe. The smoke from the pipe contains his daydream; a heavenly nymph dancing in the nude.
His typical caricatural paintings, like his self-portrait, offer commentary on contemporary society. Silakan Pak, Santai Saja shows a regional official, wearing the typical safari suit and kopiah cap, visiting a local bordello. A man wearing a formal Javanese sarong and kris, welcomes him (as in the tile of the painting) to select any of the women kneeling on a divan.
In Berdandan (Dressing), a woman is depicted getting dressed in a room. Her kebaya is unbuttoned while her date, who is similar to the official in the previous painting, can be seen about to reach the front of her house.
Similar figures appear once again in Mohon Apa Saja (Free to Ask for Anything). Here the official is seen visiting a local soothsayer. The smoke from the soothsayer's incense burner emits simple symbols of fortune.
Otto Djaya's paintings of this genre are reminiscent of the Put On comics which appeared regularly in many Indonesian magazines since the 1930s. It is unclear how the comic strip actually influenced his art.
Frankly, the exhibition does little to tell the story of Otto Djaya and his artistic development. What it does make us aware of is the fact that this painter was still alive and kicking last year. The exhibit also illustrates how poorly art is documented in Indonesia, and the arts desperate need for support.
A number of monographs on Indonesian artists, and publications about recent developments in Indonesian art and Indonesian art history, have appeared in the past six years. However, very little is known about the history of Indonesian art, particularly its early period. The few publications about modern Indonesian art published prior to 1968, such as Kusnadi's Indonesian Art (1955) and Claire Holt's Art in Indonesian (1967), are very hard to find. The Sukarno Collection albums are limited to the private libraries of wealthy collectors and therefore only accessible to a privileged few.
The Otto Djaya exhibition, and the fact that at least two publications assume he passed away six years ago, certainly calls for more and better research. With the growing appreciation for Indonesian art, it is time the country had a proper fine art documentation and study center.
The exhibition will continue through Jan. 24.