[Travel] Yogyakarta | Affandi, The Expressionist Painter and the Earliest Advertiser in Indonesia

Affandi (1907 – 23 May 1990) was one of the Indonesian expressionist painter and the earliest advertiser in Indonesia. He was born in Cirebon, West Java, in 1907.

His specialty was in oil painting and a billboard artist. His job was painting for advertisements like posters and billboard and dedicated the rest of his time to do his art. I love his sketches the most. These two, in particular, are my favorites.

Playing domino in taman siswo garage, 1949. Chinese ink on paper.

Volendam, 1952. Chinese ink on paper.

Affandi was inspired by impressionist painters like Goya and Edvard Munch, Breughel, Hieronymus Bosch, and Botticelli. He started developed the technique of painting expressionism in the 1950s by (accidentally, impatiently) squeezing the tube right on the canvas and found it was good and gives him the freedom to express himself.

Ricefield in Madura, 1983. Oil on Canvas.

Details of Ricefield in Madura, 1983. Oil on Canvas.

Sugar Cane Muntit, 1985. Oil on canvas.

Othok othok (Toy Seller), 1987. Oil on canvas.

Thamrin Street in the Night, 1979. Oil on canvas.

And self-portrait After failed to paint, 1981. Oil on canvas.

Four dead roosters and the foot, 1980. Oil on canvas.

Self Portrait – a Dead Cock, 1987. Oil on canvas.

As one of the renown painting from the Indonesian from the Independence years, he earned the honorary doctorate from University of Singapore, the Peace Award from the Dag Hammarskjoeld Foundation in 1977, and the title of Grand Maestro in Florence, Italy.

Affandi Museum

On the 3.500 m²land, there are four galleries, two studios, and the former Affandi’s resident-turned-cafe, Kafe Loteng.