Visual Art Lecture Series: Mooi Indie: "
On their first series, Salihara invited Amir Siddharta, an established auctioneer, to present Mooi Indie. Here is the excerpt:
Mooi indie (lit. Hindia Molek or beautiful Hindia) is a terminogoly used extensively by Sudjojono (arguably the speaker of Indonesian visual arts before and during Independence) to degrade the paintings produced by European and few native painters during 19th and 20th century. It's kind of colonial gaze enforced by scientist, archeologist and then painters on viewing Indonesia (Hindia Belanda) landscape. Generally, mooi indie's aesthetic favour romantic, naturalistic landscape, given preference for scene of green mountain,shimmering reflection of sky fondling with the golden sunshine. Mooi indie's iconography includes its emphasis on landscape painting, with special attention to three elements:mountain, paddy field, and coconut tree.
Mooi indie tends to portray country areas:hazy morning, the golden sun shining above green paddy field or beautiful blue beaches with beautiful women wearing red shawl or topless Balinese women bringing their Hindu-offerings. This view is correct, according Sudjojono, for those of foreign people (means: Dutch colonial) and tourists who never see coconut trees in their country.
The following is the list of mooi indie artists:
Paul Wichers, Leo Eland, Mas Priyadi (Sudjojono's teacher), Alfred Hardokin, Payen, Wakidi, Sudjono Abdullah, Abdullah Soeriosoebroto (the father of famous painter, Basuki Abdullah).
Sudjojono indicated that those mooi indie painters are:
1. foreign, particularly Dutch colonial painters, who live only 2-3 years in Indonesia
2.those who were money-motivated artists
3.local painters who imitate European second-grade painters who were technically sound but did not know whatever they were doing
Actually during this period, there is a famous collector named Renault (a paint enterpreneur) who had an impressive collection of European modernists, among other Picasso and Marc Chagall. Renault frequently exhibited his collection in his Bataviaasche Kunskring (1935-1938, now Buddha Bar building) that finally (or I suppose), influence such 'modernist' painter like Sudjojono.
As Sudjojono established Persagi (Indonesian Painters Association) in 1937/1938, he launched a battle against mooi indie aesthetic and chose more 'nationalistic' approach. His ambition is to portray ..'the beauty and the passion of new world, new nation, the beauty of independent country...'. In his view, the painters should paint not the romantic scene of colonised country but to paint the sight of sugar factories, the skinny peasant working hard under their Dutch boss, cars owned by rich Colonialist, and other 'realistic' things. 'Our reality, is art that 'realiteit, the contemporary truth, NOT from the glory in Majapahit or Mataram era'.
We could contextualize this view in the history of Indonesia/Hindia Belanda paintings, or what is famously called 'Colonial school'. Most paintings are made for scientific, administrative or archeological purpose. That's why most were not signed. For example: Trading Post, Castle of Batavia and Landscape near Bogor (all are oil on canvas). Some painters were prominent, ex. Jacob Dick van Henwerdeen and Raden Saleh. A native Indonesian with European training, Raden Saleh was the first Indonesian painters using 'European' aesthetic, particularly European romantism (Delacroix anyone?)
His paintings are mostly about hunting scene, wild animals, and some scenes from Indonesian anti-colonial struggle (among other: Penangkapan Pangeran Diponegoro, his masterpiece). Raden Saleh also worked as historical painters whose task is to portrait Dutch colonial government leader, for example. General Daendels. He learnt from his master, Nicholas Paneman. During 1880s, Hindia Belanda was introduced to Realism paintings, whose ambition is to portray daily lives. ex. Courbet. A decade before, plein air paintings was popular in Europe and then in Java when tube and box easel were introduced. These equipments enable painters to paint in the open air and arrange many travels to non-European destinations (in France, I presume, the explosion of South France travel that in some extent, are typical subject of French Impressionist). Some European painters travelled to Java, ex. Beynon.
Amir Siddharta classified mooi indie into several categories:
-landscape painting
-genre painting (daily lives)
-figure painting
-fantasy, ex. Walter Spies
European influence to Indonesian painters:
-Adolf ==> Basoeki Abdullah
-Walter Spies ==> Anak Agung Gede Sorbat
-Bonnet ==> Dewa Putu Bedil
Mooi indie paintings are mostly collected by Dutch colonial officers, tourists, and of course, Indonesian first president, Soekarno.
Note: many questions arise as mooi indie is basically political label coined by Sudjojono to launch his nationalistic ambition. Neverthelles, there is several questions that are left unanswered. I google some sources and recommend the following sites for more study:
