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Lot Essay
"A painting of quality does not merely show off its surface beauty; what is important is that it reveals the depth of its content ... it must be filled with meaning. ...I am a great admirer of primitive art, which is always loaded with magical and meaningful elements. In my paintings I want to incorporate such elements... and if an art critic from the Philippines calls my work magic-decorative, I fully agree with such a description." (Astri Wright, Soul, Spirit, and Mountain: Preoccupations of Contemporary Indonesian Painters, Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur, 1994, p. 96).
The present composition vividly showcases the complete immersion of Widayat in the magic-decorative idiom. Repetition is intended for the trees in the background, rendered in shades of whites with sporadic shades of blues and greys, the tree multiples in magnitude which actually sets the background for the composition. In the foreground, Widayat places several trees with extended twirling and swirling branches that spanned the center portion of the work, thus creating a lyrical patterning to the composition. Every space on the canvas is filled up and yet instead of a busy and crowded feel, Widayat has curiously managed to create a sense of serenity and quietness.
The monkeys are seemingly placed sporadically and yet careful examination will reveal the meticulous nature of the artist. Depicted with no more than a squirt of black paint, the animals are strategically placed to evoke a sense of poetic balance and harmony, every jump of the animal is measured and every pose is designed, the effect is a choreographed dance in the nature and rendering the spirited animals with the effect of a still-like motif on a textile.
Widayat stood distinctly apart from his peers who championed the cause of abstract-expressionism in painting. The artist was able to diffuse spirituality and profoundness into his work that are deceptively decorative and simplistic, it is this ingenuity that breathes new air to the traditional Javanese painting that is otherwise perceived as parochial and dated.
The present composition vividly showcases the complete immersion of Widayat in the magic-decorative idiom. Repetition is intended for the trees in the background, rendered in shades of whites with sporadic shades of blues and greys, the tree multiples in magnitude which actually sets the background for the composition. In the foreground, Widayat places several trees with extended twirling and swirling branches that spanned the center portion of the work, thus creating a lyrical patterning to the composition. Every space on the canvas is filled up and yet instead of a busy and crowded feel, Widayat has curiously managed to create a sense of serenity and quietness.
The monkeys are seemingly placed sporadically and yet careful examination will reveal the meticulous nature of the artist. Depicted with no more than a squirt of black paint, the animals are strategically placed to evoke a sense of poetic balance and harmony, every jump of the animal is measured and every pose is designed, the effect is a choreographed dance in the nature and rendering the spirited animals with the effect of a still-like motif on a textile.
Widayat stood distinctly apart from his peers who championed the cause of abstract-expressionism in painting. The artist was able to diffuse spirituality and profoundness into his work that are deceptively decorative and simplistic, it is this ingenuity that breathes new air to the traditional Javanese painting that is otherwise perceived as parochial and dated.