Father of Indonesian modernism

AT a time when Dutch artists were reproducing the romantic and lush landscapes of Indonesia on their canvas, one Indonesian artist was painting the average Indonesian living his life.

Despite its uncharacteristic subject, artist S Sudjojono's painting Kinderen met Cat (Children with cat) won a competition in the 1930s, which was a great encouragement to the young artist. His later application to join the art institute, Netherlands-Indies Kunstkring (Art Circle), in Jakarta however, was rejected on the grounds that he was Indonesian.

These two events in his life purportedly spurred the artist to embrace a political slant through his …