Simple yet aesthetic, the photos of Boediardjo

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): In the past, I used to see Boediardjo taking pictures with his Leica at cultural events in Jakarta. However, until recently, I had never seen his photographs.

When I was asked to write a short article for a book of his photographs last year, I finally saw his photographs. As it turned out, Pak Boed's photographs reflected his highly observant perspective in choosing subjects to photograph. His diverse interest and concern was also reflected in the subject of his photographs, which ranged from daily life to Indonesian cultural heritage, as well as the military.

In addition, Pak Boed seemed to be straightforward in his work. He did not attempt to beautify the scenery he captured on film. Everything was presented as it appeared. However it was clear that they were presented with a high consideration for aesthetics, so his photographs always appeared sound and interesting.

His straightforward approach in photography was certainly related to his role as a military figure. Since 18 years old, he had been familiar with the military world.

Two years later, he was involved in a military assault in Singapore. In 1943, in Magelang, Pak Boed succeeded in capturing a railroad station from the Japanese. In 1945, he was asked to join the Badan Keamanan Rakyat/Tentara Keamanan Rakyat Udara (People's Security Council/ People's Security Army) Air Force Divison in Yogyakarta. The next year he joined the Army, and then was recruited back to the Air Force in 1947. In approximately 20 years, he worked his way up the career ladder until he reached his final rank of vice marshal.

Pak Boed's role in building and developing the Indonesian military certainly provided him with a sense of pride. This could clearly be seen in his photographs of military ceremonies.

His concern about daily life in Indonesia was reflected in his photograph which shows young women wearing veils who were looking out from a window of a simple prayer house constructed of exposed bricks. It is an attractive contrast between the human figures appearing from the dark chamber, framed within the window, and the texture of the regular but coarse brick wall. It was clear that the photographer intended to feature the image as it appeared, without any intention of beautifying it.

Nonetheless, his photography still had many aesthetic aspects. Beauty was presented through his choice of angle and lighting.

His concern with the life of the disenfranchised was usually expressed indirectly. His subject matter was placed in a larger context. For example, a simple shack with a deteriorating tile roof was shown in front of the Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta. What he related to his viewers was not just the simple shack, but its relationship with the environment. Now the story became clear, as there were no longer any houses within the Taman Wisata Candi Prambanan (Prambanan Temple Park). It seemed that Pak Boed wanted to express his concern over what was going to happen with the residents of the shack when the park project started.

Those who know Pak Boed also know that he had a close relationship with Borobudur. Seventy-five years ago, Pak Boed was born in the village of Tingal, Borobudur, not far from Candi Borobudur.

Since the 1980s he paid special attention to his birthplace. Finally, he conceived of Pondok Tingal, his own retreat which was available for use by tourists. Candi Borobudur was also one of the main subject matter in his photography. In one of his photographs, he recorded the solar eclipse which happened above Java in the 1980s with Candi Borobudur. Placed on the bottom of the image's composition, Borobudur became a symbol of the earth.

Boediardjo was also familiar with Yogyakarta and figures at its cultural center. This could be seen in his photograph of Affandi. This artist, a monument of modern Indonesian art, was depicted wearing a blue T-shirt and woven sarong, squatting while making a sketch using chalk on the cement floor.

Another Yogyakarta figure, Umar Kayam, was shown as Rahwana in a Javanese wayang orang costume. With wit, Pak Boed showed a different side of well-known public figures.

National borders mean diversity to this cultural figure. Therefore, in the Museum Wayang (Puppet Museum), which he conceptualized and realized in 1974, not only Indonesian wayang were displayed, but also many forms of wayang from other Asian countries. There were even Punch and Judy puppets in the museum.

An Indian version of the Mahabharata wayang orang was in Boediardjo's collection. The beauty of the costume that was worn in the performance of Kathakali was shown in attractive compositions presenting the figures Duryudana and Drupadi.

In 1965, Boediardjo became the Indonesian ambassador to Cambodia, and in 1976 he became ambassador to Spain. Many of his photographs came from his experiences in Spain. Pendekar Konyol dari Spanyol (Silly Warrior from Spain) was the original title of a picture of a Don Quixote statue, also a kind of wayang from Spain. This photograph showed Don Quixote with his head tilted up and mouth open, as if he were shocked. His thick eyebrows, prominent nose, thick moustache and wavy beard, all enhance his humorous aspects. Someone placed a pair of modern spectacles on his face, making him seem even more silly.

Although he had a sincere concern with the preservation and conservation of culture in Indonesia, he was by no means ethnocentric. Any subject which interested him had the potential of becoming subject matter in his photographs. Boediardjo's photographs, recorded in Fotografi Boediardjo (Penerbit AIA, 1996) showed that this son, from the village of Tingal, had a global view.

When he exhibited his works on the occasion of his 75th birthday in November last year, I was surprised to find that the photographs that were displayed in the exhibition were even stronger than those which appeared in the book. Yet, the book remains a lasting memory of Pak Boed's life, oeuvre and vision. Boediardjo, former minister of information, passed away last Saturday.