Widayat (Indonesian, 1923-2002)

Flamboyant Tree

Footnotes

Provenance:
Rudana Fine Art Gallery, Ubud, Bali
The Estate of Mary S. Boardman

維達雅　火焰樹林　油彩畫布　木框　一九八五年作

簽名：Widayat '85

來源：
峇里島烏布德之 Rudana 藝廊
Mary S. Boardman 遺產

Greatly admired for his remarkable versatility and his dekora-magis (magical-decorative) contribution to Indonesian art, Widayat, in his five-decade artistic career, experimented with various subjects, styles and media, often appropriating imagery from nature, myths and folklore. Painted with exquisite detailing, Flamboyant Tree presents a fiery display of red and pink blooms. The far right tree in the foreground extends upwards, with its graceful trunk and umbrella-like canopy framing the entire picture, whilst other trees of varied height and flower clusters rendered through a rhythmic repetition of flat strokes densely fill the scene. Widayat's choice of the slow-drying oil medium for this work is well-suited for his laborious attempt to create crowded surface and texture. Riots of red, pink and white were carefully applied to depict the ornamental tropical trees, which were echoed by a potpourri of green, purple, pink and orange dabs on the dark background.

Here, Widayat's naturalistic attempt evokes stylistic cues from indigenous primitive art and decorative elements of batik as much of his inspiration was drawn from his childhood and past experiences.

Born in central Java in 1919, Widayat grew up listening to stories of Javanese mythology whilst observing his mother, Jumi, a maker of fine batik, at her craft. The colours and intricate patterns of batik design as well as Widayat's time in Sumatran jungles as a rubber plantation surveyor from 1939 to 1941 were etched in his memory which later resurfaced in his paintings. His study of landscape gardening and ikebana flower arrangement in Nagoya from 1960 to 1962 further increased his understanding of nature which was the playground of his fantasy world. This work exemplifies Widayat's mature magical-decorative style, inviting the viewer to enter this realm of flamboyance and ornamentation.