Image: Trubus (1926–1966), Self-Portrait, 1961. Oil on canvas, 25 × 19 cm. Image source: Christie’s, Lot 6047108.

Trubus Soedarsono (1926 – 1966)

Trubus Soedarsono lahir di Wates, Yogyakarta, 23 April 1926. Trubus Soedarsono adalah pelukis dan pematung yang belajar secara otodidak, dan ia tidak pernah tamat sekolah dasar. Namun demikian, Trubus di kemudian hari diangkat menjadi dosen ASRI Yogyakarta.

 

Pada mulanya Trubus bekerja sebagai pemberi makan kuda andong di Yogyakarta. Karena nampak berbakat melukis, Daoed Joesoef mendaftarkannya sebagai anggota sanggar SIM (Seniman Indonesia Moeda). Trubus yang berbakat terus mengembangkan kemampuan melukisnya di bawah asuhan S. Sudjojono, Affandi, Hendra Gunawan. Trubus keluar dari SIM pada tahun 1947, di saat yang sama di mana Hendra Gunawan dan Affandi mendirikan Pelukis Rakjat. Beberapa karya Trubus menjadi koleksi Presiden Sukarno, yaitu: lukisan "Potret Wanita," "Putri Indonesia," dan patung batu berjudul "Gadis dan Kodok."

 

Pada akhir tahun 1950-an Trubus bergabung dengan studio seni lukis Tio Tek Djien di daerah Cideng, Jakarta. Trubus bergabung menjadi anggota Lekra, dan mengantarkannya menjadi anggota Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah - DIY, mewakili fraksi Partai Komunis Indonesia (PKI). Trubus dikabarkan hilang pada tahun 1966, atau diduga mati terbunuh di Yogyakarta. Ia menjadi korban dari Tragedi Kemanusiaan 1965 oleh rezim Orde Baru. Secuil kisahnya telah dibukukan melalui catatan harian anaknya dan disunting oleh Hersri Setiawan dalam buku: “Trubus Di Mana Engkau?”, narasi tentang hilangnya pelukis/pematung Trubus Sudarsono (1926 - 1966) dalam bulan-bulan pertama sesudah kejadian 1 Oktober 1965, diterbitkan Yayasan Langer Limburg, tahun 1982.

Trubus Soedarsono was born in Wates, Yogyakarta, on April 23, 1926. He was a painter and sculptor who was self-taught and never completed elementary school. Nevertheless, Trubus was later appointed as a lecturer at ASRI Yogyakarta.

 

Initially, Trubus worked as a coachman feeding horses in Yogyakarta. Because he showed talent in painting, Daoed Joesoef registered him as a member of the SIM studio (Seniman Indonesia Moeda). Talented, Trubus continued to develop his painting skills under the guidance of S. Sudjojono, Affandi, and Hendra Gunawan. He left SIM in 1947, the same year Hendra Gunawan and Affandi founded Pelukis Rakjat. Some of Trubus's works became part of President Sukarno's collection, including the paintings "Portrait of a Woman," "Putri Indonesia," and a stone sculpture titled "Girl and Frog."

 

In the late 1950s, Trubus joined the art studio Tio Tek Djien in Cideng, Jakarta. He became a member of Lekra and subsequently served as a member of the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) of Yogyakarta, representing the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) faction. Trubus was reported missing in 1966, or believed to have been killed in Yogyakarta. He became a victim of the 1965 Human Tragedy perpetrated by the New Order regime. A fragment of his story has been documented in his child's diary and edited by Hersri Setiawan in the book: "Trubus Where Are You?", a narrative about the disappearance of painter/sculptor Trubus Sudarsono (1926-1966) in the months following the events of October 1, 1965, published by Yayasan Langer Limburg in 1982.

Source: IVAA Online Archive, ‘Trubus Sudarsono’, Hersri Setiawan (ed), Penerbit Buku Baik, 2013