Haji Widayat

(b. 1919 – 2002, Central Java, Indonesia)

Haji Widayat was a respected modern artist to whom the development and popularisation of the dekora-magis (magical decorative) style in Indonesian art has been attributed. His fantastical, entrancingly detailed paintings typically comprise dense compositions of rhythmic repeating motifs. Widayat’s whimsical imagery often relates to nature and folklore, and is visibly influenced by traditional batik styles. Indeed, as a child he often spent time listening to stories about Javanese mythology, while watching his mother – herself a celebrated artisan – make fine batik. After learning to paint from an amateur artist selling souvenir landscapes in the streets of Bandung, Widayat later enrolled at the Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia (Indonesian Academy of Fine Arts) at the age of 31, as part of the school’s very first cohort of students. In 1952, still as a student, Widayat co-founded the Young Indonesian Painters group which has since been highly influential on the development of Indonesian art. In 1954, Widayat graduated and became a teacher at the academy for over thirty years, only retiring in 1988. During this time, Widayat travelled to Japan to learn ceramic techniques in the 1960s, and continuously developed his own art practice. 

Through five decades of creative experimentation and honing his art, Widayat developed an enchanting, enrapturing visual style. His works often seem like an open doorway to another realm, a preternatural one rife with life, belief, wonder, and stories, rendered in a unique style that came to be nearly synonymous with dekora-magis. He drew inspiration from the mythological, mystical, and religious narratives of various cultures, as well as nature, naïve art, some modernist tropes, and his own vivid imagination – weaving them into the symbolic vocabulary of his world. Widayat tended to fully populate his works with imagery, filling every inch of the visual field with intricate detail. Yet his harmonious use of colour and astute compositional sense allowed his imagery to occupy space without overwhelming the eye, engulfing viewers as warm invitation rather than forceful threat. 

Widayat’s unique aesthetic is also a significant development in Indonesian art history. He was part of a wave of post-independence artists striving to break from the Mooi Indies convention, many of whom pursued one of two paths; either the Western-influenced Bandung school of art or the more realistically-grounded Yogyakarta school. However, Widayat found his own path forward – one leading into his dimension of dense forests, profound narratives, and primordial beauty.