Soedibio (1912 – 1981)
Soedibio lahir di Madiun, Jawa Timur, 17 Juni 1912. Ia belajar melukis secara otodidak, terutama bertukar ilmu dengan S. Soedjojono dan Trisno Sumardjo. Pada tahun 1940 ia bergabung menjadi anggota PERSAGI (Persatuan Ahli Gambar Indonesia) di Jakarta, lalu pada tahun 1946 ikut mendirikan Seniman Indonesia Muda (SIM) di Madiun, Jawa Timur.
Tahun 1967 Soedibio menjadi anggota Sanggar Puring di Surabaya, Jawa Timur, serta pada tahun 1970 menjadi anggota Himpunan Budaya Surakarta (HBS) di Solo, Jawa Tengah. Soedibio pernah bekerja bersama Trisno Sumadrjo di Jawatan Kereta Api (1942) di kota asalnya, Madiun, Jawa Timur.
Soedibio dikenal secara tak resmi sebagai ‘Bapak Surealisme Indonesia’, karena gaya khasnya yang menggabungkan antara surealisme dan realisme sosial terutama pada zaman revolusi. Lukisan tentang pengalamannya di tahanan Belanda di Yogyakarta pada tahun 1949 adalah salah satu bukti kekhasannya tersebut. Karya-karya Soedibio zaman revolusi bernuansa kelam dan menunjukkan kekerasan yang dialami masyarakat akibat penjajahan dan juga demoralisasi masyarakat yang terjadi.
Setelah masa ini, Soedibio sempat hiatus selama 15 tahun dari dunia seni rupa, yang menyebabkan lukisan-lukisannya termasuk langka dicari. Ia sempat kembali lagi berkarya dengan gaya yang berbeda dari sebelumnya. Ia wafat tahun 1981. Karena kelangkaan karyanya dan gaya surealismenya yang mendobrak pada zamannya, karya-karya Soedibio banyak dicari kembali jauh setelah ia meninggal.
Soedibio was born in Madiun, East Java, on June 17, 1912. He studied painting autodidactically, primarily exchanging knowledge with S. Soedjojono and Trisno Sumardjo. In 1940, he joined PERSAGI (Indonesian Artists Association) in Jakarta, and in 1946, he helped establish the Indonesian Young Artists (SIM) in Madiun, East Java.
In 1967, Soedibio became a member of Sanggar Puring in Surabaya, East Java, and in 1970, he joined the Surakarta Cultural Association (HBS) in Solo, Central Java. He once worked with Trisno Sumardjo at the Railway Department (1942) in his hometown, Madiun, East Java.
Soedibio is unofficially known as the ‘Father of Indonesian Surrealism’ because of his distinctive style that combines surrealism and social realism, especially during the revolutionary period. His painting about his experience in Dutch detention in Yogyakarta in 1949 is one of the proofs of his uniqueness. His works during the revolutionary era are characterized by dark tones and depict the violence experienced by society due to colonization, as well as the demoralization within society.
After this period, Soedibio experienced a 15-year hiatus from the world of fine arts, making his paintings rare and highly sought after. He later returned to creating art with a style different from before. He passed away in 1981. Due to the scarcity of his works and his groundbreaking surrealist style for his time, Soedibio’s works have become highly collectible long after his death.
Source: IVAA Online Archive, ‘Back To Basic : The Five Maestro Of Modern Indonesian Art’, OHD Museum, 2012
