Widayat, more than a painter

When euphoria swept across the Korean Peninsula over the weekend after the Red Devils eliminated Spain to reach the World Cup semifinals, many people in Indonesia could only watch with a mixture of admiration and envy. The Koreans have something to be very proud of, while Indonesians only seem to have more and more things to resent.

Indeed, Indonesians are extremely frustrated with so many things, from the Manulife scandal and the violence in Aceh and Maluku, to lethargic legislators and indolent government officials, it seems they can hardly find anything to be proud of.

Given this situation, it is of no surprise that the passing away of Haji Widayat, one of Indonesia's greatest painters, a few hours after the South Korean victory went almost unnoticed.

An Indonesian critic, Sudarmadji, once compared Widayat with Henri Rousseau of France and Vincent van Gogh of Holland, lacking only in global exposure.

Born in 1919 in the small town of Kutoardjo, Central Java, Widayat produced more than 4,000 paintings and 1,000 sketches over his almost-60-year career, with more than just a distinct character of "decorative magic".

Even though he modestly claimed that his works "are mere decorations for dining rooms, office walls or art galleries", they restored to us, to quote John Russell, "the lost wholeness, the sensation of being at one with nature, and at one with society, which human beings crave from the moment of birth".

Up to his last days, Widayat persevered with a dedication and stamina very much absent even among those half his age.

Among his fellow artists, he was no less respected as a great artist than as a great teacher. Immediately after he graduated from the Academy of Arts of Indonesia (ASRI) in Yogyakarta in 1954, he applied for a teaching job at his alma mater, and was accepted. For more than 30 years he nurtured his teaching job, which he said was simultaneously a learning process for him and a way to promote and provoke younger generations.

Some of his admirers, as well as critics, addressed him during his last years as Empu or Begawan, meaning "the great teacher". He deserved this title. This nation certainly needs people like Haji Widayat to look up to, and to keep us away from total frustration.