ArtTitudes

ADBUL AZIZ IN ROME

Under The Patronage of the Embassy of Italy,
the Italian Institute of Culture in Jakarta
proudly presents:

ABDUL AZIZ IN ROME, 1959-1965
The education of an artist

The exhibition focuses on the years the young Abdul Aziz spent in Italy, studying at the famous Accademia di Belle Arti, and includes a number of paintings and sketches that have never been exhibited before.

This is the first display of works by the artist in Jakarta, and only the second ever held. The first was the “Abdul Aziz Retrospective” held at The Neka Art Museum in Ubud, Bali in December 2007 – January 2008. Prior to that there had never been an exhibition of works, despite the artist being one of the most loved Indonesian artists of the 20th Century. He was not ambitious for fame and fortune, but preferred to stay at home and play music with his friends or concentrate on making his beloved violins.

Abdul Aziz (1928 – 2002) is now regarded as one of Indonesia’s greatest artists of the 20th Century. Born in Purwokerto, Central Java, he went to school under the Dutch, then the Japanese, before becoming a member of the Student Army, fighting for Indonesian Independence. Once this was achieved, he settled in Jogyakarta. Here he studied, first, SosPol as his father wished, before getting family approval to study at the recently created ASRI (Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia) where he studied from 1957-1959. At the same time, being an idealistic and educated young patriot, he taught a variety of subjects in a number of schools all over Jogyakarta.

In 1959 came the opportunity Abdul Aziz had dreamed of, when he was offered a scholarship to Italy, to complete his education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, one of the world’s foremost art schools. Here he studied the techniques and styles of art which were to help him achieve his life’s dream of making pictures ‘come out of the frame’ for which he is so renowned now. His talent was also recognized by his teachers, giving him permission to advance rapidly through the grades so that he actually achieved two Diplomas (in Painting and in Decoration) in the time allowed for one!

In 1983 a visiting Englishwoman, Mary Northmore, was so impressed with the works of Abdul Aziz which she saw in the Neka Art Museum in Ubud, that she visited with the artist and they became friends. They were married 5 years later and in 1991 Mary founded the Seniwati Gallery of Art by Women, based in Aziz’ former studio in Ubud. This was the first gallery dedicated to women artists in Asia and continues to support and promote the women artists of Bali. Following the demise of Abdul Aziz in 2002, Mary worked on her book “Abdul Aziz: The Artist and His Art” which was published to critical acclaim in 2005.

The paintings of Abdul Aziz are easily recognized due to his mastery of anatomy, chiaroscuro, and expression, which combine to create an extraordinary illusion of three-dimensionality. The influence of great European masters such as Rembrandt, Tintoretto, Caravaggio among others, is present in much of his oeuvre. His love for women and children shines through his work, and his delight at life in Bali was a constant inspiration for him.

Abdul Aziz kept a huge number of memorabilia, sketches, and photos throughout his life, and some of these will also be on view at the exhibition; copies of the book “Abdul Aziz : The Artist and his Art” will be on sale.
Free guided tours of the exhibition to groups of 10 – 15 persons will be available. If you are interested, kindly contact Ibu Yanti on 0811 6979 684. The exhibition will run until December 5th. Open daily Mon-Fri 9 am – 5 pm, Sat 9am – 1 pm.

For further information please contact Italian Institute of Culture

Start Time: Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 12:00pm
End Time: Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 4:00pm
Location: Istituto Italiano di Cultura Jakarta

(* photo: Self-Portrait, 1958, 40,5x30cms, oil on canvas)

Events, Exhibition