SINDUDARSONO SUDJOJONO

S. Sudjojono Artworks

Often drawing from his personal memories and observations, S. Sudjojono created social realist and later expressive landscape paintings, portraits, sketches, and drawings that capture daily life in modern Indonesia with empathy.

Realism

In the late 1930s and 1940s, S. Sudjojono was a founding member of influential Indonesian artist groups and collectives, among them the PERSAGI (Association of Indonesia Drawing Specialists) and Seniman Indonesia Muda (Young Indonesian Artists’ Collective). Reacting against the then-prevalent colonial style known as ‘Mooi Indië’ (Beautiful Indies), which idealised Indonesian landscapes and culture, S. Sudjojono and like-minded artists advocated for a reflection of the country’s realities that encompassed both the poor and rich, the land and factories.

Paintings such as Pertemuan di Tjikampek yang Bersedjarah (Historic Meeting in Tjikampek) (1964) reflect S. Sudjojono’s alignment with social realism, in which three men surround a small table against a dense architectural setting. The work was based on an earlier sketch the artist had made in 1945, witnessing an historic meeting between the guerrilla leaders Chaerul Saleh, Wikana, and A.M Hanafi in a former rice mill.

Landscapes

A recurring subject in his paintings, S. Sudjojono’s landscapes typically feature a local countryside with towering mountains over the horizon. Departing from the smooth, idealised renditions of Indonesia in Mooi Indië paintings, S. Sudjojono’s landscapes Pemandangan (Landscape) (1972) or Danau Toba, Prapat (Lake Toba) (1975) employ muted colours to capture expanses of dark clouds, mountains, and fields, occasionally with small human figures.

Sketches

Sketching and drawing were an integral part of S. Sudjojono’s practice, which included works in pencil, ink, watercolour, and ballpoint pen. The pencil drawing Orang-orang Mengambil Air I (The Waterbearers I) (1965) shows the artist’s lasting interest in the everyday, recording the activities of various figures resting with water jugs or carrying them on their heads.

In 2017, around 130 sketches by S. Sudjojono were presented together in the major solo exhibition Hidup Mengalun Dendang (Life is a Flowing Song) at Bentara Budaya Jakarta.

Legacy

Following the artist’s death in 1985, S. Sudjojono Center was established in Tangerang, Banten, to preserve and promote his work. In addition to organising exhibitions of S. Sudjojono’s paintings, the Center has published Visible Soul (2006), a biography of the artist, and Cerita tentang Saya dan Orang-orang Sekitar Saya (2017), his autobiography, among others.

In 2013, a group exhibition of Indonesian contemporary artists, titled Imagining Indonesia: Tribute S. Sudjojono, paid homage to the artist at Tonyraka Art Gallery in Bali.

Exhibitions

S. Sudjojono’s work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions internationally.

Solo exhibitions include: Idup Mengalun Dendang (Life is a Flowing Song), Bentara Budaya Jakarta, Indonesia (2017); Lives of Pictures, ADM Gallery, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (2014); Mas Djon: The Man Behind the Easel, One East Asia, Thong Teck Building, Singapore (2011).

Group exhibitions include: Strategies Towards the Real: S. Sudjojono and Contemporary Indonesian Art, NUS Museum, The National University of Singapore (2008).

Sherry Paik | Ocula | 2022