Dr Oei Hong Djien:
An Addiction to Art by Michelle Chin |
![]() Entang Wiharso Birth in the City, 1997 |
![]() Affandi Kwan Kong, the Legendary General, 1965 |
![]() Hendra Gunawan Me, Dasamuka / Ten-Headed, c.1968 |
![]() Affandi, , Chinese Temple in Yogya, 1966 |
![]() Widayat |
![]() Hendra Gunawan, Batik Sellers, 1954 |
It
was truly an educational process when he got to know Affandi and then Widayat,
eventually transforming into very pleasurable friendships because by that
stage he had learnt a lot from both of them and they shared similar tastes
and preferences. Dr Oei says that, Widayat was also very simple in
the way he judged paintings. He said, If the painting appeals to you
he used the word greng - it is like getting an electric shock. Affandi
and Widayat taught me the same method of appreciating a painting it is really
a matter of using the heart rather the brain. He adds that, Now
it is rather different, [artists] put more weight on the concept or the
story behind the painting but if visually it cannot touch your heart or
emotions then what is it for? Better you write a story! Dr Oei has an extensive collection of work by Widayat, and he is hard-pressed to name a few favourites, but these would include the woodcut print The Bull (1982) and Birds in the Trees (1989). Actually I suspect that his absolute favourite is an abstract painting hanging in his house which was not included in this book: he must love this painting so much that he does not even wish to share it with others through the book. When Dr Oei started collecting, Sudjojono was living in Jakarta and Hendra Gunawan was in prison. After his release Hendra Gunawan lived in Bali and Bandung, and Dr Oei never met him personally. He prefers the paintings of Hendra Gunawan created in the 1940s and 1950s. Three favourites are Market Scene in Yogyakarta (1947), the Batik Sellers (1954), and from the later period when Hendra Gunawan was in prison, Dr Oei particularly loves the painting entitled Me, Dasa Muka / Ten-headed (c. 1968). He says, This painting was done when Hendra Gunawan was first imprisoned it is so strong - at the time he still felt revolt and could not accept the injustice done to him, he was angry and full of emotion. You can see that the figure is armed with various weapons, he felt that he was being attacked from all sides. He didnt know what would happen to him. The feeling is very aggressive. |
![]() Sudjojono, Perusing a Poster, c. 1956 |
One
of Dr Oeis favourite paintings by Sudjojono is Perusing a Poster
(c. 1956). He says, It is unsigned but it is so unique. I acquired
it from a Surabaya collector who was a real connoisseur: he went to the
first wife - Sudjojono was already dating the second wife - and the first
wife said that it was not yet signed, so he retorted, Never mind
if it is signed and Sudjojono sells it to me, maybe you will not get the
money, the second wife will get the money. So the first wife agreed
to sell it to him, and I eventually acquired it from him. |
![]() Sudjojono, Me and Three Venuses, 1974 |
![]() Nasirun Rampogan 1996 |
Of the younger generation artists, three of his favourite Jogja-based artists are graduates of ISI Yogyakarta: Nasirun (born 1965), Entang Wiharso (born 1967) and Rudi Mantovani (born 1973). He considers that, Nasirun is very talented and he is also very intelligent. He has an extensive knowledge of the Javanese wayang stories and he is able to create large-format paintings with great ease. Creating big-sized works is not easy it is not like enlarging a small picture to become a big picture you have to be able to fill the spaces. Nasirun has that ability - he has the technical ability, the imagination, and the patience to work out very detailed composition. |
![]() Entang Wiharso Living with Art, 2000 |