Page 11 - Flipbook Dyah Iswarini

10 11

This declaration later came to be this exhibition alongside paintings
known as the Youth Pledge; it is depicting people from various
A Nation’s a statement that unites all youth ethnic groups and social classes,
from all over Indonesia who speak
such as the painting of a youth
Struggle the unifying Bahasa Indonesia and from Lampung, a farmer from
United in binds them into one nation. We Toraja, and portraits of women
Diversity cannot separate the Indonesian from different social backgrounds.
struggle for independence from the
diversity of our nation that consists Artists also often use myths and
of more than three hundred ethnic legends to express the struggle
groups living in more than eight for independence. This can be
of thirteen thousand islands in this seen in the paintings depicting
archipelago. This notion of unity in the scene where Sinta is taken
The Indonesian independence was diversity is the essence of nation’s by Rahwana, which functions as
proclaimed on 17 August 1945, and motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. a representation of colonialism.
this is one episode of a long history. Despite various efforts to
The founding of Boedi Oetomo on The Indonesian struggle for interpret Raden Saleh’s paintings
20 May 1908 marked the beginning independence is often portrayed of wild animals as expressions
of the nationalist movement, which in history paintings depicting the of his nationalist patriotism, the
came to be known as “National narrative of struggle during the painting Fight with Lion (1870)
Awakening Day.” Twenty years later, War of Revolution (1945-1949), as seems to represent his personal
the Second Youth Congress held on shown in the painting No One Intends struggle for survival.
28 October 1928 declared: to Come Home Even Though Death
Awaits Us Here (1963) by Rustamadji, The struggle of a nation to seize
First the portrait of General Sudirman by and defend its independence
We, the sons and Joes Soepadyo (1954), and Trubus enables its people to freely
daughters of Indonesia, Soedarsono’s Fighter (1949). When continue their own struggles in
acknowledge one the capital of Indonesia moved to order to achieve their dreams.
motherland, Indonesia. Yogyakarta in 1946 because of the This is shown in the works The
war, many artists began to paint Harpooner (1958) by Argentinian
Second portraits of the fighters as part of sculptor Roberto Juan Capurro,
We, the sons and the effort to shape the history of and Shooting an Arrow (1944)
daughters of Indonesia, the Indonesian national movement. by Henk Ngantung. Unity
acknowledge one nation, This exhibition presents three in diversity gives birth to an
Indonesia. portraits of national fighters: Dr. independent nation and freedom
Tjipto Mangunkusumo by Soerono, gives people the necessary
Third Muhammad Husni Thamrin by space and opportunities to
We, the sons and daughters Sudarso, dan Tuanku Imam Bonjol develop their potential.
of Indonesia, uphold the by Harijadi Soemadidjaja. These
language of unity, the portraits of fighters from various
Indonesian language. parts of the country are presented in