Widayat

Formerly in the Museum H. Widayat Collection, Mungkid Magelang

Helena Spanjaard, Widayat: The Magical Mysticism of a Modern Indonesian Artist, Museum H Widayat, Indonesia, 1998, p. 219

Agus Dermawan T., "Greng”: The Expression Paintings of Widayat, AIA Fine Art Foundation, Indonesia, 1994, p. 135

 

Very good overall condition as viewed, as is the canvas, which is clear and taut. There are very minor cracks to pigment and small areas of paint loss at the edges of the work, due to abrasions from the frame, but this does not affect the overall image. The paint layers are healthy. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no signs restoration.
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After World War II, artists worldwide began deliberating and questioning the traditional treatment of art, which suddenly seemed irrelevant and unable to truly describe the altered human experience of the mid-20^th century. Widayat was in same predicament, striving to create a new method of representation that more candidly depicted the new chapter of existence in Indonesia post-independence.

Setting himself apart from the Mooi-Indië style so prevalent during the colonial era, Widayat found himself standing in the crossroads between the two opposing schools of Indonesian art, the westernized Bandung school and the more nationalistic Yogyakarta school.  The artist decided to assert his own, fresh visual language; a concoction of primitive and naïve art, along with ornamental elements from traditional batik cloths, all permeated with undertones of wit.  

Widayat painted Bus Kota with colors so bright they could have emerged from a child’s palette. The scene is whimsical and quintessentially Indonesian: a blatantly overcrowded bus moves on as a passenger jumps off and a schoolboy chases after it, attempting to embark.  The seemingly nonchalant mob of individuals in the red bus is a humorous juxtaposition from the barren roads in the backdrop. Two girls clad in jilbabs join the space of the viewer as they watch this circadian scene. This quirky painting is telling of the chaos and disorganization so rampant in the experience of public transportation in urban Indonesian cities, presenting a forthright and light-hearted account of the realities around the artist.