Srietje Membaca by S. Sudjojono

In this painting, Sudjojono depicts the eldest daughter of his wife Rose Pandanwangi, Sri “Srietje” Sara reading a book while seated on a wrought iron chair that he designed himself. Although she is fully and quite formally dressed in a baju kurung dress with a batik bottom, Srietje seems to be absorbed in her reading, oblivious to the fact that her stepfather is creating a portrait of her.

The 1960s was a difficult time for Indonesia, as well as for Sudjojono personally. However, it was during this time that he produced many of his best paintings, including this particular piece. In his paintings, he makes use of models, usually family members, neighbors or other acquaintances. In this painting, he paints his step daughter, taking attention to the details, especially of her dress, a peach colored baju kurung with a green bottom. She is seated in an elaborate white wrought iron chair, which reminds us of the rattan peacock chair popular in the 1960s, which is still with the Sudjojono family today. The painting is not done using his realist technique which he used in the 1950s, so we cannot see what book she is reading. The forms of the objects in the painting are instead painted with the artist’s comprehension of structures of the objects in the painting, the book, the dress, the table and the chair, in a much stronger painterly manner. With just a few swift brushstrokes, Sudjojono captures the nuances of the scene. Quietly, it is a very strong painting.