Kakak dan Adik (Siblings), 1978 (or 1971)

Oil on canvas
65 x 79 cm
Collection of Galeri Nasional Indonesia


The painting, Siblings, affirms Basoeki Abdullah’s artistic tendencies. He beautifies reality through his canvases. This has resulted in him being criticised as a bourgeois painter who is only interested in beauty and greatness. The subjects of his paintings are focused around national heroes, government officials, royal families, beautiful women and natural landscapes. The common person rarely appears in his paintings. Even when they do, his tendency to beautify them still persists. In this painting, which shows a young girl carrying a younger sibling who is still a baby, the same quality is seen. Even though they appear dirty and poor, the colours and composition radiate a feeling which inspires sympathy. This kind of beautification makes the painting easily enjoyable for the public in general.

 

About the Artist

Basoeki Abdullah, who was the son of the artist Abdullah Suriosubroto, is regarded as one of the modern maestros of Indonesian painting, particularly in the realistic and naturalist styles. His career spanned the colonial era, when he was affiliated with PUTERA (Pusat Tenaga Rakyat, The Centre of People’s Power) and the Keimin Bunka Shidoso as a painting instructor. At the time of the revolution, he travelled throughout Europe and also visited Tokyo and Thailand. He returned to Indonesia in 1974 and was appointed as the official painter for the Istana Merdeka (Independence Palace).


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