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.