LOT 29
HAJI WIDAYAT
(B. Indonesia, 1919-2002)
Pohon Flamboyan, 1991
Signed and dated “h.Widayat 91” on lower right and on the verso
Oil on canvas
150 x 224 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Singapore
Acquired from a private collector in Jakarta
Accompained with a Certificate of
Authenticity from Museum H. Widayat
SOLD – RM 112,000
“His ‘magical-decorative’ paintings are somber with tightly packed, textured surfaces with minute details and decorative motives, and he showed a preference for muted, earthy colors drawn directly from nature.”
Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of flowers. In many tropical parts of the world it is grown as an ornamental tree and in English it is given the name Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant, and it is artist Haji Widayat’s subject for this piece.
One of most influential Javanese painters of the 20th century, he often painted dense jungles, exotic animals and primitive life forms mixed with myths and fantasy. The late Indonesian master’s unique style was described by some art critics as “magical-decorative.”
Meticulously painted with exquisite detailing, Widayat’s paintings are identifiable by his signature flat and simplified representational style, often using repetition, weaving in some modernist and abstract stylizations. Widayat’s works also have deep spirituality and meaning.
Haji Widayat was born in Kutoarjo, Indonesia in 1919. Widayat grew up listening to stories of Javanese mythology while watching his mother – a renowned artist – make batik. He picked up painting skills from an amateur landscape painter who sold souvenir paintings in the streets of Bandung. At 31, he decided to study art seriously and joined the Indonesian Academy of Fine Arts (ASRI).