Famous Painter Srihadi Soedarsono Dies At The Age Of 90 In Bandung, Saturday Morning

Painting maestro Srihadi Soedarsono. (Photo: Antara/HO/Yayasan Mitra Museum Jakarta)

JAKARTA - The painter Srihadi Soedarsono Adhikoesoemo died at the age of 90, at 05.15 WIB Saturday at his residence in Bandung, West Java.

"Innalillahi Wa Inna Illaihi Raji'un. Mr. Prof. Srihadi Soedarsono has passed away on Saturday, February 26, 2022, at 05.15 WIB at his residence Jl. Ciumbuleuit no 173 Bandung," reads a written message received by journalists.

The painter who was born on December 4, 1931, will be buried in the East Hall of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and will be offered prayers at the Salman Mosque. The artist who graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at ITB and once taught as a lecturer at ITB will be buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, Jakarta.

Prof. Kanjeng Raden Haryo Tumenggung H Srihadi Soedarsono Adhikoesoemo, MA is an Indonesian painter whose works are sought after by domestic and foreign collectors. Srihadi's work entitled "Bedhoyo Ketawang Meditation" in July 2020 was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong auction for HKD3.5 million (equivalent to Rp. 6.4 billion).

He married the painter Farida Srihadi who studied at ITB, then in the Netherlands and England. Srihadi was appointed a member of the Student Army from 1945 to 1948 as a painter journalist who created posters for the Information Center Division IV BKR/TKR/TNI in Solo.

He joined the Young Indonesian Artists in Solo and Yogyakarta in 1947-1952, enrolled in art education at the Universiter Guru Gambar Education Center, Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia Bandung (now the Faculty of Fine Arts, Bandung Institute of Technology) in 1952 and graduated as a fine arts graduate in 1959. A year later, he studied at Ohio State University and received his Master of Art in 1962.

Srihadi has a special character that makes him known as one of Indonesia's modern painters. Quoted from an official statement on Saturday, his work was shaped by Javanese cultural and historical roots. His early work was influenced by educational results, synthetic geometry. He began experimenting with abstract shapes through paper cut patches and color spontaneity in 1960.

In the 70s, he tended to be impressionist through watercolor and expressionist through oil paint. He also often incorporates symbolic elements into his paintings. His works also appear in simplified forms with strong horizon lines, as well as poetic figure paintings inspired by Zen teachings.

His wife, who is also an academic of fine arts, Farida, explained that her husband not only invites them to see, but also feels the colors which are the main elements in the work.

"The use of gold in his paintings shows the glory and prosperity of an era," he said, at Srihadi's last exhibition in Jakarta last year as quoted by Antara.

Srihadi's paintings are famous for their landscape approach. His interest in landscapes was more clearly described between 1954-1959 when he made several visits to Bali.

In 1953, Srihadi Soedarsono lived on the beach in Sindhu, Sanur, Bali, which was still quiet at that time, apart from boats, ceremonies, and Balinese women on the beach. It was the time for him to think about what he was looking for in painting. Farida said, Srihadi understood the direction of his work from the moments of contemplation in Bali at that time.