Image: Portrait of Zaini. Image source: IVAA (Indonesian Visual Art Archive), via Wikimedia Commons.

Zaini (1926 – 1977)

Zaini lahir di Pariaman, Sumatera Barat tanggal 17 Maret 1926. Tamat sekolah dasar, Zaini belajar di INS Kayutanam pimpinan Moh. Syafei, dan menerima pelajaran awal melukisnya dari Wakidi, pelukis di Minangkabau.

Zaini belajar di Jakarta selama pendudukan Jepang dan belajar melukis pada S. Sudjojono, Basuki Abdullah, dan Affandi. Pada tahun 1942 di Jakarta, ia ikut latihan melukis oleh S. Sudjojono di Keimin Bunka Shidoso. Tahun 1943, bersama Kusnadi, ia belajar teknik melukis akademis dari Basuki Abdullah. Tahun 1945 ia pindah ke Yogyakarta, bernaung di sanggar Seniman Masjarakat bentukan Affandi. Bergabung dalam SIM (Seniman Indonesia Moeda) pada tahun 1946. Tahun 1949 ia kembali ke Jakarta dan bergabung dengan GPI (Gabungan Pelukis Indonesia) serta Masyarakat Seniman Jakarta Raya. Sejak tahun 1956 ia mengajar di Balai Budaya Jakarta dan BMKN (Badan Musyawarah Kebudayaan Nasional). Tahun 1958 dengan Trisno Sumardjo serta Oesman Effendi, ia membantu mendirikan asosiasi Yayasan SD dan bertanggung jawab pada sebuah galeri seni di Kebayoran Baru yang dimiliki oleh asosiasi tersebut. Disamping itu, Zaini bekerja sebagai seorang ilustrator. Mengadakan banyak pameran lukisan, antara lain: ikut serta pameran Biennale ke-3 di Sao Paolo, Brazil (1953), ikut pameran di Negeri Belanda (1954), New Delhi (1958,1963,1971), pameran seni grafis di Ljubljana, Yugoslavia (1963), Tokyo (1964-1966), dan pameran-pameran di Jakarta (1952-1973). 

 

Zaini menjadi salah satu  Anggota Dewan Kesenian Jakarta 1972. Ikut serta dalam pameran Seni Lukis Indonesia di Amerika dalam hubungan 25 tahun berdirinya Lembaga PBB. Menerima medali dan piagam dari Departemen Pendidikan, Pengajaran dan Kebudayaan pada 1972. Zaini meninggal dunia di Jakarta, 25 September 1977.

Zaini was born in Pariaman, West Sumatra, on March 17, 1926. After completing elementary school education, Zaini studied at INS Kayutanam under Moh. Syafei, and received his initial painting lessons from Wakidi, a painter in Minangkabau.

 

Zaini studied in Jakarta during the Japanese occupation and learned to paint from S. Soedjono, Basuki Abdullah, and Affandi. During 1942 in Jakarta, he participated in painting training under S. Sudjojono at Keimin Bunka Shidoso. In 1943, together with Kusnadi, he studied academic painting techniques from Basuki Abdullah. In 1945, he moved to Yogyakarta and joined the Seniman Masjarakat studio organized by Affandi. He joined Seniman Indonesia Moeda (Young Artist of Indonesia) in 1946. In 1949, he returned to Jakarta and joined GPI (Indonesian Painters Association) and the Jakarta Raya Artists Society. Starting in 1956, he taught at the Jakarta Cultural Center and BMKN (National Cultural Consultation Agency). 

 

In 1958, along with Trisno Sumardjo and Oesman Effendi, he helped establish the SD Foundation and was responsible for an art gallery in Kebayoran Baru owned by the association. Besides that, Zaini worked as an illustrator. He held numerous exhibitions, including participating in the 3rd Biennale in São Paulo, Brazil (1953), exhibitions in the Netherlands (1954), New Delhi (1958, 1963, 1971), graphic art exhibitions in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia (1963), Tokyo (1964-1966), and exhibitions in Jakarta (1952-1973).

Source: IVAA Online Archive.