GUNUNG MERAPI PEINT PAR SUDJONO ABDULLAH

 

SUDJONO ABDULLAH (1911-1993)
Gunung Merapi  (2,914m - 9,500 ft)
Indonesia (Java)

In Rice Fields near Gunung Merapi, Huile sur toile, 110 x 70 cm, Collection privée ( via Drouot)

Le volcan

Le mont Merapi ou Gunung Merapi (2 914 m - 9 500 pieds) est un stratovolcan très actif situé à la frontière entre le centre de Java et Yogyakarta, en Indonésie. C'est le volcan le plus actif d'Indonésie et il est régulièrement entré en éruption depuis 1548.   Il est situé à environ 28 kilomètres (17 mi) au nord de la ville de Yogyakarta qui compte 2,4 millions d'habitants et des milliers de personnes vivent sur les flancs du volcan à quelques que 1 700 mètres (5 600 pieds) au-dessus du niveau de la mer. On peut souvent voir de la fumée émerger du sommet de la montagne et plusieurs éruptions ont fait de nombreux  morts. Le flux pyroclastique d'une grande explosion a tué 27 personnes le 22 novembre 1994, principalement dans la ville de Muntilan, à l'ouest du volcan. Une autre grande éruption s'est produite en 2006, peu de temps avant le tremblement de terre de Yogyakarta. À la lumière des dangers que Merapi pose aux zones peuplées, il a été désigné comme l'un des "volcans les plus dangereux de la décennie". Le 25 octobre 2010, le gouvernement indonésien a relevé l'alerte pour le mont Merapi à son plus haut niveau et a fait evacuer les villageois des zones menacées. Les responsables ont déclaré qu'environ 500 tremblements de terre volcaniques avaient été enregistrés sur la montagne au cours du week-end du 23 au 24 octobre 2010 et que le magma était monté à environ 1 kilomètre sous la surface en raison de l'activité sismique. Dans l'après-midi du 25 octobre 2010, le mont Merapi a  éclaté et la lave  a commencé à couler sans discontinuer sur ses pentes sud et sud-est. La montagne était encore en éruption le 30 novembre 2010, mais en raison de la baisse de l'activité éruptive le 3 décembre 2010, le statut d'alerte officiel a été réduit au niveau 3. Le volcan mesure maintenant 2930 mètres de haut, 38 mètres plus bas qu'avant les éruptions de 2010. Après une grande éruption en 2010, la caractéristique du mont Merapi a été modifiée. Le 18 novembre 2013, le mont Merapi a éclaté de fumée jusqu'à 2 000 mètres de haut, l'une de ses premières éruptions phréatiques majeures après l'éruption de 2010. Les chercheurs ont déclaré que cette éruption s'est produite en raison de l'effet combiné des gaz volcaniques chauds et des précipitations abondantes. En 2004, une zone de 6 410 hectares autour du mont Merapi a été érigée en parc national. La décision du ministère des Forêts de déclarer le parc a ensuite été contestée devant les tribunaux par le Forum indonésien pour l'environnement, au motif d'un manque de consultation avec les résidents locaux. Lors de l'éruption du volcan en 2006, il a été signalé que de nombreux habitants hésitaient à partir parce qu'ils craignaient que leurs résidences ne soient confisquées pour l'expansion du parc national, ce qui signifie qu'ils n'auraient pas de maison. La dernière éruption du Merapi est en date du 18 Mars 2023 et a nécessité l'évacuation de plusieurs centaines d'habitants.

Le peintre
Raden Soedjono Abdullah est né à Yogyakarta, le fils d'Abdullah Suriosubroto, un célèbre peintre paysagiste et était également le frère de Basoeki Abdullah. Il avait l'habitude d'aider son père à nettoyer sa palette et c'est ainsi qu'il  a trouvé sa voie pour devenir peintre. Il a terminé ses études à HIS Indonesian Dutch School et a travaillé comme affichiste pour le Rex Theatre de Yogyakarta. Lors de la colonisation japonaise en Indonésie, Sudjono s'exhila à Parangtritis, Parangkusumo où il continua à peindre. Au cours des années 1970, Soedjono  déménagea à Kertosono dans l'est de Java, où il a vécu jusqu'à sa mort. Sa peinture est beaucoup plus realiste - voit hyper réaliste même - que celle des autres peintres de sa famille.

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2023 - Wandering Vertexes ....
Errant au-dessus des Sommets Silencieux...
Un blog de Francis Rousseau   

LE PLATEAU VOLCANIQUE DE DIENG PEINT PAR MAX FLEISCHER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAX FLEISCHER (1861-1930)
Dieng Plateau (2,565m)
Indonésie (Java) 

In Voorstellend de tempel Candi Bima op het Diengplateau, Huile sur toile, 1912, Tropenmuseum

 

Le plateau volcanique
Le plateau de Dieng qui culmine à 2 565 mètres d'altitude est situé en Indonésie, dans le centre de Java, au nord-ouest du Sumbing, un volcan, et au nord de la ville de Wonosobo. Le plateau est constitué d'une caldeira mesurant quatorze kilomètres de longueur dans le sens est-ouest pour six kilomètres de largeur. Le fond de la dépression s'élève entre 1 600 et 2 000 mètres d'altitude. Ce volcan est encore actif avec d'importantes émissions de gaz volcaniques sulfurés formant des fumerolles, des mares de boue et des lacs acides. Sa dernière éruption remonte au 27 septembre 2009. La caldeira renferme une vingtaine de cônes volcaniques, cinq cratères, quatre dômes de lave et dix champs de fumerolles et mares de boue. Le climat y est plus humide que dans les plaines environnantes avec une plus forte pluviométrie et de fréquentes brumes. Ce climat combiné aux sols volcaniques fertiles ont permis le développement de l'agriculture dans le fond et sur les pentes de la caldeira. Intensément peuplé le plateau constitue un site archéologique avec la présence de huit temples hindouistes en ruine. Les plus anciennes constructions du plateau de Dieng sont représentées par huit temples hindouistes datant des 7e et 8e siècles. Leur nombre original se situait autour de 400. Ces temples en pierre sont de petite taille et plutôt simples comparés à des édifices plus récents comme les temples de Borobudur et de Prambanan. Ils étaient dédiés à des divinités ancestrales mais n'avaient pas vocation à servir de lieu de culte aux hommes.
 

L'artiste
Richard Paul Max Fleischer était un peintre et bryologue allemand. Dans le domaine de la botanique, son nom est associé à son travail sur les mousses de Java. ll suivit des cours d'art à Breslau et obtint son diplôme de professeur d'art en 1881. Il poursuivit ses études à Munich et à Paris, où son intérêt pour les sciences naturelles s'amplifia. Il s'installa ensuite à Zurich en 1892 pour étudier la géologie  Dans la dernière partie des années 1890, il fut invité par le botaniste Melchior Treub à Java comme 'illustrateur. Parallèlement à ses fonctions artistiques, il  collecta des spécimens régionaux et mena des recherches sur les mousses de l'île. Durant son séjour aux Indes orientales néerlandaises, il apprit  également la technique de création d' imprimés batik à partir de teintures végétales. Après plusieurs années passées à Java, il voyagea en Nouvelle-Guinée, dans l' archipel Bismarck, en Australie  en Nouvelle-Zélande et en Amérique du Sud  avant de retourner en Allemagne en 1903. De 1908 à 1913, il revisite l'Asie du Sud-Est maritime , où il collectionne surtout des bryophytes mais aussi orchidées et champignons de Java. En 1914, il commença à travailler au musée botanique de Berlin et trois ans plus tard, il fut nommé professeur de botanique à l' Université de Berlin . En 1925, il se rendit aux îles Canaries pour peindre et étudier les mousses de la région. Au cours de l'année suivante, il s'installe à La Haye et, en 1927 il retourna aux Canaries. Après sa mort en 1930, ses collections privées et sa bibliothèque furent achetées par un antiquaire de Leipzig. 

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2023 - Wandering Vertexes ....
Errant au-dessus des Sommets Silencieux...
Un blog de Francis Rousseau

GUNUNG LAWU PAINTED BY ARTHUR ELAND

 

ARTHUR ELAND (1884-1948)
Gunung Lawu ( 3,265 m - 10,712 ft)
Indonesia (Java)

In "Mountains in Indonesia", oil on canvas, 1912, Private collection

The painter 

There is not much biographical information about Arthur Eland, except that he was Leo Eland's twin brother. These two Dutch  brothers were born in 1884 in the Dutch East Indies on Java in Salatiga. After the death of Arthur and since the 1970s, many of his canvases and watercolors representing large Indonesian volcanic landscapes have gone into auctions especially at Christie's and have acquired unmistakable market value. Christie's classified him as a  "colonial impressionist painter". Impressionist he certainly  is, no doubt about it.

The mountain
Gunung Lawu is a massive compound stratovolcanostraddling the border between East Java and Central Java, Indonesia. The north side is deeply eroded and the eastern side contains parasitic crater lakes and parasitic cones. A fumarolic area is located on the south flank at 2,550 m. The only reported activity of Lawu took place in 1885, when rumblings and light volcanic ash falls were reported. The recent study provided insights into geothermal heat flow suggesting that Mt. Lawu is still active today.
Mount Lawu is the home of the God Parwatarajadewa(also called Hyang Girinatha in the manuscript Serat Centhini). The New Javanese manuscript Serat Manikmaya states that Mount Lawu is part of the eighteen sacred mountains of Central Java, and scholars agree that it had great religious significance to the Hindus of Java. Poerbatjaraka stated that the original name of Lawu is Katong, which means God. The name Katong is likely associated with the ruins of Mount Meru, the sacred five peaked mountain and center of the universe. This assosiation makes it likely that it is a seat of God, for which it is named. The last mention of this name was in the reign of Bhre Kertabhumi (1474-1478), and the first mention of Mount Lawu was in the Bhujangga Manik in the early 16th century, which indicates the name change took place between the 15th and 16th centuries, coinciding with the Islamic invasion.

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2022 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau

GUNUNG BROMO (2) PAINTED BY SUDJONO ABDULLAH

SUDJONO ABDULLAH (1911-1993)
Gunung Bromo (2,329m - 7,641ft)
Indonesia (Java Timur)

In Sawa Landscape, 1959, oil on canvas, Private collection

The volcano
Gunung Bromo (2,329m - 7,641ft) or Gunung Brama, an active volcano,in East Java, Indonesia, is not the highest peak of the Tengger massif, but the best known. The massif area is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god. Gunung Bromo sits in the middle of a plain called the "Sea of Sand" a protected nature reserve since 1919. The best way to visit Gunung Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang, from where it is possible to walk during 45 mn to the volcano. It is also possible to take an organised jeep tour, which includes a stop at the viewpoint on Gunung Penanjakan (2,770 m - 9,088 ft). On the fourteenth day of the Hindu festival of Yadnya Kasada, the Tenggerese people of Probolinggo, East Java, travel up the mountain in order to make offerings of fruit, rice, vegetables, flowers and sacrifices to the mountain gods by throwing it into the caldera of the volcano. The origin of the ritual lies in the 15th century legend when princess Roro Anteng started the principality of Tengger with her husband, Joko Seger. The couple were childless and therefore beseeched the assistance of the mountain gods. The gods granted them 24 children but stipulated that the 25th child, named Kesuma, must be thrown into the volcano as a human sacrifice. The gods' request was implemented. The tradition of throwing sacrifices into the volcano to appease these ancient deities continues today and is called the Yadnya Kasada ceremony. Though fraught with danger, some locals risk climbing down into the crater in an attempt to recollect the sacrificed goods that they believe could bring them good luck.
Depending on the degree of volcanic activity, the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Disaster Hazard Mitigation sometimes issues warnings against visiting Mount Bromo.
Mount Bromo recently erupted in 2004, 2010, 2011 and 2015.
 

The painter
Raden Soedjono Abdullah was born in Yogyakarta, the son of Abdullah Suriosubroto, a famous landscape painter and was also the brother of Basoeki Abdullah. He used to help his father cleaning the pallet from which he found his way to be a painter. He finished his school from HIS Indonesian Dutch School and worked as a poster artist for the Rex Theater in Yogyakarta. During the Japanese colonization in Indonesia, Sudjono went to Parangtritis, Parangkusumo where he continued to paint. During the 1970s, Soedjono moved to Kertosono in East Java, where he lived up to his death.

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2022 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau

GUNUNG BROMO PAINTED BY SUDJONO ABDULLAH

 

SUDJONO ABDULLAH (1911-1993)
Gunung Bromo (2,329m - 7,641ft)
Indonesia (Java Timur)

In Gunung Bromo, 1960, oil on canvas, Private collection

The volcano
Gunung Bromo (2,329m - 7,641ft) or Gunung Brama, an active volcano,in East Java, Indonesia, is not the highest peak of the Tengger massif, but the best known. The massif area is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god. Gunung Bromo sits in the middle of a plain called the "Sea of Sand"  a protected nature reserve since 1919. The best way to visit Gunung Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang, from where it is possible to walk during 45 mn to the volcano. It is also possible to take an organised jeep tour, which includes a stop at the viewpoint on Gunung Penanjakan (2,770 m - 9,088 ft).

On the fourteenth day of the Hindu festival of Yadnya Kasada, the Tenggerese people of Probolinggo, East Java, travel up the mountain in order to make offerings of fruit, rice, vegetables, flowers and sacrifices to the mountain gods by throwing it into the caldera of the volcano. The origin of the ritual lies in the 15th century legend when princess  Roro Anteng started the principality of Tengger with her husband, Joko Seger. The couple were childless and therefore beseeched the assistance of the mountain gods. The gods granted them 24 children but stipulated that the 25th child, named Kesuma, must be thrown into the volcano as a human sacrifice. The gods' request was implemented. The tradition of throwing sacrifices into the volcano to appease these ancient deities continues today and is called the Yadnya Kasada ceremony. Though fraught with danger, some locals risk climbing down into the crater in an attempt to recollect the sacrificed goods that they believe could bring them good luck.
Depending on the degree of volcanic activity, the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Disaster Hazard Mitigation sometimes issues warnings against visiting Mount Bromo.
 Mount Bromo recently erupted in 2004, 2010, 2011 and 2015.

The painter
Raden Soedjono Abdullah was born in Yogyakarta, the son of Abdullah Suriosubroto, a famous landscape painter and was also the brother of Basoeki Abdullah. He used to help his father cleaning the pallet from which he found his way to be a painter. He finished his school from HIS Indonesian Dutch School and worked as a poster artist for the Rex Theater in Yogyakarta. During the Japanese colonization in Indonesia, Sudjono went to Parangtritis, Parangkusumo where he continued to paint. During the 1970s, Soedjono moved to Kertosono in East Java, where he lived up to his death.

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2021 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau

GUNUNG TAMBORA PAINTED BY BASOEKI ABDULLAH

BASOEKI ABDULLAH (1915 -1993)

Gunung Tambora (4,300 m-14,100 ft)

Indonesia

The volcano
Mount Tambora, or Tomboro (4,300 m-14,100 ft) is an active stratovolcano in the northern part of Sumbawa, one of the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. It was formed due to the active subduction zones beneath it, and before its 1815 eruption, it was more than high, making it one of the tallest peaks in the Indonesian archipelago.
Tambora's 1815 eruption was the largest in recorded human history and the largest of the Holocene (10,000 years ago to present). The magma chamber under Tambora had been drained by pre-1815 eruptions and underwent several centuries of dormancy as it refilled. Volcanic activity reached a peak that year, culminating in the eruption. The explosion was heard on Sumatra island, more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) away. Heavy volcanic ash rains were observed as far away as Borneo, Sulawesi, Java and Maluku islands, and the maximum elevation of Tambora was reduced from about 4,300 metres (14,100 ft) to 2,850 metres (9,350 feet). Although estimates vary, the death toll was at least 71,000 people. The eruption caused global climate anomalies in the following years, while 1816 became known as the "year without a summer" due to the impact on North American and European weather. In the Northern Hemisphere, crops failed and livestock died, resulting in the worst famine of the century.
During a 2004 excavation, archaeologists discovered the remains of a house destroyed and buried by the 1815 eruption. The site has remained intact beneath three metres of pyroclastic deposits and provides insight into the culture that vanished. Today, Mount Tambora is closely monitored for volcanic activity; a powerful eruption would affect millions of Indonesians. The mountain is administered by the Bima Regency in the northeast and by the Dompu Regency in the west and south.


The painter
Basoeki (or Basuki) Abdullah is one of the modern master painters of Indonesia, known as a realist and naturalist painter. He has been appointed as the official painter of Merdeka Palace in Jakarta and works adorn palaces and presidential countries Indonesia, in addition to have been collectibles from around the world. His father, Abdullah Suriosubroto, was a famous painter and dancer, while his grandfather, Doctor Wahidin Sudirohusodo, was a prominent Indonesian National Awakening Movement in the early 1900's. Since the age of 4 years, he began to paint famous personalities such as Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and even "Jesus Christ and Krishnamurti".
His acquired a formal education in the Basoeki Abdullah Catholic and Catholic Mulo in Solo.
In 1933, he obtained a scholarship to study at the Academic Arts in The Hague, Netherlands, and completed his studies within 3 years with awarded Certificate of Royal International of Art (RIA). On 6 September 1948, during the revolutionary period, Basoeki Abdullah is housed in Amsterdam (Netherlands) during the coronation of Queen Juliana which held a contest to paint, he defeated 87 European painters and managed to come out as winners.
Since then, the world began to recognize Basoeki Abdullah, during his frequent visits around Europe (Italy and France) and was well known by many resident artists with a worldwide reputation.

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2020 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau

GUNUNG MERAPI (4) PAINTED BY RADEN SALEH

 

RADEN SALEH (1811-1880)

Gunung Merapi or Mount Merapi (2,914m - 9,500 ft)

Indonesia (Java)

In Merapi-Eruption by Day, 1865, Oil on canvas, National Gallery Singapore

About the painting
The Merapi volcano is one of the most active in Indonesia and the ring of fire on which it is located. Its silhouette changes constantly, because its lava dome explodes regularly and changes its contours. The Merapi volcano is constantly erupting and counts in its very ancient history certain major eruptions which have modified the climate of the planet, and a cataclysmic eruption which almost exterminated the human species.


The mountain
Mount Merapi or Gunung Merapi (2,914m - 9,500 ft) is an active stratovolcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. It is located approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) north of Yogyakarta city which has a population of 2.4 million, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as high as 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) above sea level.
Smoke can often be seen emerging from the mountaintop, and several eruptions have caused fatalities. Pyroclastic flow from a large explosion killed 27 people on 22 November 1994, mostly in the town of Muntilan, west of the volcano.Another large eruption occurred in 2006, shortly before the Yogyakarta earthquake. In light of the hazards that Merapi poses to populated areas, it has been designated as one of the Decade Volcanoes.
More about  Gunung Merapi....


The painter
Raden Saleh Sjarif Boestaman was a pioneering Indonesian Romantic painter of Arab-Javanese ethnicity. He was considered to be the first "modern" artist from Indonesia (then Dutch East Indies), and his paintings corresponded with nineteenth-century romanticism which was popular in Europe at the time. He also expressed his cultural roots and inventiveness in his work.
Raden Saleh Sjarif Boestaman was born in 1811 in Semarang on the island of Java into a noble Hadhrami family where his father was Sayyid Husen bin Alwi bin Awal bin Yahya, an Indonesian of Arab descent.
Young Raden Saleh was first taught in Bogor by the Belgian artist A.J. Payen. Payen acknowledged the youth's talent, and persuaded the colonial government of the Netherlands to send Raden Saleh to the Netherlands to study art. He arrived in Europe in 1829 and began to study under Cornelius Kruseman and Andreas Schelfhout. From Schelfhout, Raden Saleh furthered his skills as a landscape painter.
During his stay in Paris, Saleh met Horace Vernet whose painting frequently took themes of African wildlife. Compared to Vernet, Saleh's painting seems to be more influenced by the romantic painter Eugène Delacroix. This could be seen in one of Saleh's work, Hunting Lion, 1840, which has similar composition to Delacroix's La Liberté guidant le peuple. However, Werner Kraus, a researcher in the Southeast-Asian Art Center of Passau, German, said that Saleh "never mentioned Delacroix. Perhaps he saw Delacroix's, and possibly Vernet's, works during an exhibition."
While in Europe, in 1836 Saleh became the first indigenous Indonesian to be initiated into Freemasonry. From 1839, he spent five years at the court of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who became an important patron.
Raden Saleh visited several European cities. Many of his paintings were exhibited at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Several of his paintings were destroyed when the Colonial Dutch pavilion in Paris was burnt in 1931.
Raden Saleh returned to Dutch East Indies in 1852 after living in Europe for 20 years. He worked as conservator for the colonial collection of government art and continued painting portraits of the Javanese aristocracy, and many more landscape paintings.

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2020 - Wandering Vertexes
Un blog de Francis Rousseau

GUNUNG AGUNG PAINTED BY JOHN LA FARGE

 

JOHN LA FARGE (1835-1910)

Gunung Agung (3, 031m - 9,944 ft)

Indonesia (Bali)

The mountain
Gunung Agung (3, 031m - 9,944 ft) or Mount Agung, is a active volcano standing majestically on the eastern seaboard of Bali is the island’s highest mountain, located in the district of Karangasem. Mt. Agung affects its surrounding climate, its western slopes catching the rain clouds and making the west side lush and fertile, while its eastern slopes remains dry and barren.
The Balinese believe that Mt. Agung is the abode of the gods, and the volcano therefore is revered as sacred. It is on this mountain that the mother of all temples in Bali is located, called Pura Besakih. Entering the temple one has to climb hundreds of steps before reaching the main gate. But, fortunately, other staircases with easier climbs are available to make it easier for women carrying high mountains of offerings on their head to reach the temple.Although Mt. Agung inspires peace and tranquility, nonetheless, after 100 years of slumber, on 17 March 1963 the volcano burst violently, spewing ash and volcanic materials 8 to 10 km high into the air while pyroclastic clouds rolled down all sides of the mountain. Over a thousand people perished that day. And the entire surrounding down to Kintamani was blanketed for months in deep grey ash. But surprisingly, the ash brought fertility and large sweet potatoes grew from the volcanic material.

The painter

John La Farge was an American painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer.

born in New York City to wealthy French parents and was raised bilingually; as a child, he and his brothers produced a handmade magazine in French entitled Le Chinois.  His interest in art began during his studies at Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland and St. John's College (now Fordham University) in New York.  He initially intended to study law, but this changed after his first visit to Paris, France in 1856. Stimulated by the arts in the city, he studied with Thomas Couture and became acquainted with notable literary people. La Farge also studied with the painter William Morris Hunt in Newport, Rhode Island.

More about the painter 

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2020 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau

GUNUNG BATOK PAINTED BY SUDJONO ABDULLAH

SUDJONO ABDULLAH (1911-1993)

Gunung Batok (2,440 m - 8,010 ft)

Indonesia (Java) 

In  Beternak Bebek (Raising ducks), oil on canvas, 1950, Private collection Indonesia 

About the painting
This painting shows a rare view of the volcano's complex around  Gunung Bromo on the ancient caldeira of the Tengger volcano of 10 km diameter.  Bromo have emerged from this ancient caldeira and also the Batok  in front of this view. The highest mountain in back is the Semeru volcano still active at 3,676 m altitude the highest mount of Java.

The volcano
Gunung Batok  (2,440 m - 8,010 ft) is a cinder cone located in East Java, Indonesia. This volcano is located between four regencies: Probolinggo Regency, Pasuruan Regency, Lumajang Regency, and Malang Regency. The location of Mount Batok is west from Mount Bromo. This mountain is one of the inactive volcanoes located within the Tengger caldera.
In Javanese, Batok means "coconut shell". The Tenggerese people believe that Mount Batok was formed from a coconut shell which was kicked by Resi Bima, a powerful giant, after failing to fulfill the conditions proposed by Rara Anteng to marry her.

The painter
Raden Soedjono Abdullah was born in Yogyakarta, the son of Abdullah Suriosubroto, a famous landscape painter and was also the brother of Basoeki Abdullah. He used to help his father cleaning the pallet from which he found his way to be a painter. He finished his school from HIS Indonesian Dutch School and worked as a poster artist for the Rex Theater in Yogyakarta. During the Japanese colonization in Indonesia, Sudjono went to Parangtritis, Parangkusumo where he continued to paint. During the 1970s, Soedjono moved to Kertosono in East Java, where he lived up to his death.

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2020 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau

ARJUNO-WELIRANG TWIN VOLCANO BY ARTHUR ELAND

ARTHUR ELAND (1884-1948)

Arjuno-Welirang twin volcano 

(3,339 m - 10,955 ft for Arjuno)

(3,156 m -10,354 ft for Welirang)

Indonesia (Java)

The  volcano
Arjuno-Welirang (3,339 m - 10,955 ft for Arjuno and 3,156 m (10,354 ft fot Welirang) is a twin stratovolcano (the 'twins' being mount Arjuno and mount Welirang) in the province of East Java on Java, Indonesia.  Twins volcanoes are quite common aroud earth.

Mount Arjuno-Welirang lies about 50 kilometers (31 mi) south of Surabaya, and 20 kilometers (12 mi) north of Malang. 

There is at least one other stratovolcano in the area, and there are around 10 pyroclastic cones nearby.  They are located in a 6 km line between Arjuno and Welirang. The Arjuno-Welirang volcanic complex itself lies in the older two volcanoes, Mount Ringgit to the east and Mount Linting to the south. The summit lacks vegetation. Fumarolic areas with sulfur deposits are found in several locations on Welirang.
The name Arjuno is Javanese rendition of Arjuna, a hero in Mahabharata epic, while Welirang is Javanese word for sulfur.
A 1950 eruption had a VEI=2. There was an explosive eruption. Another eruption occurred two years later in 1952. This eruption had a VEI=0.

The painter 

There is not much biographical information about Arthur Eland, except that he was Leo Eland's twin brother. These two Dutch  brothers were born in 1884 in the Dutch East Indies on Java in Salatiga. After the death of Arthur and since the 1970s many of his canvases and watercolors representing large Indonesian volcanic landscapes have gone into auctions especially at Christie's and have acquired unmistakable market value. Christie's classified him after the colonial impressionist painters
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2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau 

GUNUNG RINJANI BY SUDJONO ABDULLAH

SUDJONO ABDULLAH (1911-1993) 

Gunung Rinjani (3,727m - 12,224ft) 

Indonesia (Lombok) 

In Landscape with vulcano and sawahs, oil on canvas,  Private collection 

The mountain
Gunung Rinjani (3,727m - 12,224ft) is an active volcano in Indonesia on the island of Lombok, the second highest volcano in Indonesia. On the top of the volcano is a 6-by-8.5-kilometre (3.7 by 5.3 mi) caldera, which is filled partially by the crater lake known as Segara Anak or Anak Laut (Child of the Sea), due to the color of its water, as blue as the sea.This lake is approximately 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level and estimated to be about 200 metres (660 ft) deep; the caldera also contains hot springs. Sasak tribe and Hindu people assume the lake and the mount are sacred and some religious activities are occasionally done in the two areas.

 On 27 September 2016 14:45 WITA Rinjani erupted.
UNESCO has made Mount Rinjani Caldera a part of the Global Geoparks Network in April 2018.

The painter
Raden Soedjono Abdullah was born in Yogyakarta, the son of Abdullah Suriosubroto, a famous landscape painter and was also the brother of Basoeki Abdullah. He used to help his father cleaning the pallet from which he found his way to be a painter. He finished his school from HIS Indonesian Dutch School and worked as a poster artist for the Rex Theater in Yogyakarta. During the Japanese colonization in Indonesia, Sudjono went to Parangtritis, Parangkusumo where he continued to paint. During the 1970s, Soedjono moved to Kertosono in East Java, where he lived up to his death.


___________________________________________
2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau

GUNUNG AGUNG PAINTED BY SURIOSUBROTO ABDULLAH

SURIOSUBROTO ABDULLAH (1878-1941)

Gunung Agung

Indonesia (Bali) 

In Lukisan parmandangan, Oil on canvas, 1910

The mountain
Gunung Agung ( 3, 031m - 9,944 ft) or Mount Agung, is a active volcano standing majestically on the eastern seaboard of Bali is the island’s highest mountain, located in the district of Karangasem. Mt. Agung affects its surrounding climate, its western slopes catching the rain clouds and making the west side lush and fertile, while its eastern slopes remains dry and barren.
The Balinese believe that Mt. Agung is the abode of the gods, and the volcano therefore is revered as sacred. It is on this mountain that the mother of all temples in Bali is located, called Pura Besakih. Entering the temple one has to climb hundreds of steps before reaching the main gate. But, fortunately, other staircases with easier climbs are available to make it easier for women carrying high mountains of offerings on their head to reach the temple.Although Mt. Agung inspires peace and tranquility, nonetheless, after 100 years of slumber, on 17 March 1963 the volcano burst violently, spewing ash and volcanic materials 8 to 10 km high into the air while pyroclastic clouds rolled down all sides of the mountain. Over a thousand people perished that day. And the entire surrounding down to Kintamani was blanketed for months in deep grey ash. But surprisingly, the ash brought fertility and large sweet potatoes grew from the volcanic material.

The artist
 Suriosubroto  Abdullah was an Indonesian painter. He is the adopted son of Wahidin Sudirohusodo, a figure in the Indonesian national movement. He was also the father of the famous Indonesian painter Sudjono Abdullah (1911-1991) and  of the other landscape Basoeki Abdullah. Following in the footsteps of his adoptive father, Abdullah entered medical school in Batavia (now Jakarta). Then he continued his studies in the Netherlands. There, he switched to painting and entered the art school. After returning to Indonesia, he continued his career as a painter.Abdullah was seen as the first Indonesian painter in the 20th century. His favorite painting object is a view. He was included in a school dubbed " Mooi Indie " ("Beautiful Indies").

Abdullah began to settle for several years in Bandung to be close to nature which he liked to paint. Then he moved to Yogyakarta, where he died in 1941.

__________________________________________

2019 - Wandering Vertexes...

by Francis Rousseau 

GUNUNG SUMBING PAINTED BY ERNEST DEZENTJE

ERNEST DEZENTJE (1885-1972) 

Gunung Sumbing  (3,371m -11,060 ft) 

Indonesia  (Java)

The mountain 
Gunung Sumbing  (3,371 m - 11,060 ft)  or Gurung Sumbing  (meaning Mount Sumbing) is a prominent high stratovolcano that lies across a 1400-m-high saddle from symmetrical Sundoro (3,136m) volcano in central Java. Prominent cones are located on the N and SE flanks, which is somewhat more dissected than Sundoro. An 800-m-wide horseshoe-shaped summit crater breached to the NE is partially filled by a lava dome that fed a lava flow down to 2400 m elevation. Emplacement of the dome followed the eruption of extensive pyroclastic flows down the NE flank.
The only report of historical activity, in about 1730 CE, may have produced the small phreatic craters found at the summit.
The announcement of an eruption in the Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report (30 July-5 August 2008) was later found to be false. The Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) noted that a pilot reported an eruption plume from Sumbing on 1 August 2008. The plume allegedly rose to an altitude of 4.9 km and drifted W. However, ash was not identified on satellite imagery. Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) observers at the local observatory saw only non-eruptive processes at the volcano, and they noted brush fires in September and October. A common problem in this active region occurs when drifting plumes become linked to the wrong volcano.

The painter
The ‘Indisch’- Indonesian landscape painter Ernest Regnard Leonce Dezentjé was an autodidact.  His career  (mostly local) began when first president of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno (1901-1970), - who declared the independence of the country in 1945, felt in love with his painting and decided to make him the  "court painter".  Dezentje was then labelled an impressionist of the early Indonesian School, being considered by critics and young artists as a  typical establishment artist.  Along his eminently nationalistic themas the mountains and volcanoes of Indonesia took a important place.

__________________________________________________
2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau 

GUNUNG SEMERU BY ERNEST DEZENTJE

ERNEST DEZENTJE (1885- 1972) 

Gunung Semeru  (3, 676m - 12, 060ft) 

Indonesia 

The mountain 

Mount Semeru - Gunung Semeru or Gunung Mahameru indonesian - (3, 676m - 12, 060ft)  is an active volcano located in East Java, Indonesia. It is the highest mountain on the island of Java. This stratovolcano is also known as Mahameru, meaning 'The Great Mountain. The name derived from the Hindu-Buddhist mythical mountain of Meru or Sumeru, the abode of gods.  Semeru is named from Sumeru, the central world-mountain in Buddhist cosmology and by extension Hinduism. As stated in legend, it was transplanted from India; the tale is recorded in the 15th-century East Javanese work Tantu Pagelaran. It was originally placed in the western part of the island, but that caused the island to tip, so it was moved eastward. On that journey, parts kept coming off the lower rim, forming the mountains Lawu, Wilis, Kelut, Kawi, Arjuno and Welirang. The damage thus caused to the foot of the mountain caused it to shake, and the top came off and created Penanggungan as well. Indonesian Hindus also hold a belief that the mountain is the abode of Shiva in Java.

Gunung Semeru or Mahameru is very steep rising abruptly above the coastal plains of eastern Java. Semeru lies at the south end of the Tengger Volcanic Complex.

Semeru's eruptive history is extensive.

Since 1818, at least 55 eruptions have been recorded (10 of which resulted in fatalities) consisting of both lava flows and pyroclastic flows. All historical eruptions have had a VEI of 2 or 3. Semeru has been in a state of near-constant eruption from 1967 to the present. At times, small eruptions happen every 20 minutes or so.

In 2014, there are as many as 25 non-native plants in Mount Semeru National Park, which threaten the endemic local plants. The foreign plants were imported by a Dutch botanist named Van Steenis, in the colonial era. They include Foeniculum vulgare mill, Verbena brasiliensis, chromolaena odorata, and Salvinia molesta.

Mud erosion from surrounding vegetable plantations are also making problem of silting of Ranu Pane Lake, which the lake becomes smaller and shallower. Research predicted the lake will disappear in about 2025, except the kind of vegetables plantation is replaced with more ecological plantations.

Semeru is regularly climbed by tourists, usually starting from the village of Ranu Pane to the north, but though non-technical it can be dangerous. mainly because of the  poisonous gases on Mount Semeru.

The painter

The ‘Indisch’- Indonesian landscape painter Ernest Regnard Leonce Dezentjé was an autodidact.  His career  (mostly local) began when first president of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno (1901-1970), - who declared the independence of the country in 1945, felt in love with his painting and decided to make him the  "court painter".  Dezentje was then labelled an impressionist of the early Indonesian School, being considered by critics and young artists as a  typical establishment artist.  Along his eminently nationalistic themas the mountains and volcanoes of Indonesia took a important place.

__________________________________________________

2019 - Wandering Vertexes...

by Francis Rousseau 

GUNUNG SUMBING & SUNDORO BY WILLEM IMANDT

WILLEM IMANDT (1882-1967) 

 Gunung Sumbing  (3,371 m - 11, 060ft) - on right 

Gunung Sundoro  (3,136 m - 10, 289 ft) - on left 

Indonesia (Central Java) 

 In Mount Sundoro and Mount Sumbing, oil on canvas, 1939

The volcanoes 

Gunung Sumbing (3,371 m - 11, 060ft) on right on this painting,  is an active stratovolcano in Central Java, Indonesia, symmetrical with Gunung Sundoro. The only report of historical eruptions is from 1730. It has created a small phreatic crater at the summit.

Gunung Sundoro  (3,136 m - 10, 289 ft)  also called  Sindara or   Sindoro, on left on this painting, is an active stratovolcano in Central Java, Indonesia. Parasitic craters and cones are found in the northwest-southern flanks; the largest is called Kembang. A small lava dome occupies the volcano's summit. Historical eruptions have been mostly mild-to-moderate.

The painter 

Willem Imandt was born in a tiny village in Zealand Flanders, close to the Dutch-Belgian border. He successfully started a career as teacher, with posts in his birth region and Amsterdam. He was also a talented draughtsman, without more than a basic education in this field. In 1908, he went to the Dutch East Indies, where he was employed in a number of cities on Sulawesi and Java until his retirement in 1929. At that point, he took up his old vocation and had a successful career as a painter.

 Imandt developed his own style. He concentrated on a few themes - landscapes and marines - and earned growing appreciation, that was also reflected in the prices his works fetched. His income from painting soon surpassed his teacher's salary. When he repatriated he was a wealthy man, who in Flanders continued to paint to fulfill the demand of other repatriates for a tangible and nostalgic memory of their Indies years. The Indies still were alluring Imandt, and in 1938 he returned as a famous painter. He was, as all Dutchmen, interned in a Japanese camp, as was his wife. They survived and returned for good in 1946. But as a painter oblivion was his fate. He died in The Hague in 1967. Now, Imandt is a respected part of the revival in interest (as well as a beneficiary of proceeds from the auctions). 

_______________________________

 

2019 - Wandering Vertexes...

by Francis Rousseau 

GUNUNG BROMO BY TEMPEST ANDERSON

TEMPEST ANDERSON (1846-1913)

Gunung Bromo (2,329m - 7,641ft)

Indonesia (Java Timur) 

The mountain 

Gunung Bromo (2,329m - 7,641ft) or Gunung Brama, an active volcano,in East Java, Indonesia,  is not the highest peak of the Tengger massif, but the best known. The massif area is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god. Gunung Bromo sits in the middle of a plain called the "Sea of Sand"  a protected nature reserve since 1919. The best way to visit Gunung Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang, from where it is possible to walk during 45 mn to the volcano. It is also possible to take an organised jeep tour, which includes a stop at the viewpoint on Gunung Penanjakan (2,770 m - 9,088 ft).

On the fourteenth day of the Hindu festival of Yadnya Kasada, the Tenggerese people of Probolinggo, East Java, travel up the mountain in order to make offerings of fruit, rice, vegetables, flowers and sacrifices to the mountain gods by throwing it into the caldera of the volcano. The origin of the ritual lies in the 15th century legend when princess  Roro Anteng started the principality of Tengger with her husband, Joko Seger. The couple were childless and therefore beseeched the assistance of the mountain gods. The gods granted them 24 children but stipulated that the 25th child, named Kesuma, must be thrown into the volcano as a human sacrifice. The gods' request was implemented. The tradition of throwing sacrifices into the volcano to appease these ancient deities continues today and is called the Yadnya Kasada ceremony. Though fraught with danger, some locals risk climbing down into the crater in an attempt to recollect the sacrificed goods that they believe could bring them good luck.

Depending on the degree of volcanic activity, the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Disaster Hazard Mitigation sometimes issues warnings against visiting Mount Bromo.

 Mount Bromo recently erupted in 2004, 2010, 2011 and 2015.

The photographer
Tempest Anderson  was an ophthalmic surgeon at York County Hospital in the United Kingdom, and an expert amateur photographer and vulcanologist. He was a member of the Royal Society Commission which was appointed to investigate the aftermath of the eruptions of Soufriere volcano, St Vincent and Mont Pelee, Martinique, West Indies which both erupted in May 1902. Some of his photographs of these eruptions were subsequently published in his book, Volcanic Studies in Many Lands. Tempest Anderson spent nine months in Mexico, Guatemala and the West Indies in 1906/1907. He travelled to Mexico to attend the 10th Congres Geologique International before sailing by mail steamer to Guatemala to study the effects of the 1902 earthquake. During the trip he observed and photographed Cerro Quemado, Santa Maria, and Atitlan. During this trip he collected first hand accounts of the 1902 eruption of the Santa Maria and the immediate aftermath. Captain Saunders of the Pacific Mail Steamer S.S. Newport observed the eruption cloud which rose to a great height. The Captain measured it using a sextant and recorded it as reaching 17 to 18 miles. The sounds accompanying the eruption were loud and were heard even louder at more distant places than close to the mountain. The eruption was heard as far away as Guatemala City, the noises so strong, they were assumed to come from neighbouring volcanoes.
_______________________________

2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau 

GUNUNG SUMBING (2) PAINTED BY BASOEKI ABDULLAH

BASOEKI ABDULLAH (1915 -1993), 

Gunung Sumbing  (3,371m- 11, 060ft) 

 Indonesia (Java) 

The mountain 
Gunung Sumbing  (3,371 m - 11,060 ft)  or Gurung Sumbing  (meaning Mount Sumbing) is a prominent high stratovolcano that lies across a 1400-m-high saddle from symmetrical Sundoro (3,136m) volcano in central Java. Prominent cones are located on the N and SE flanks, which is somewhat more dissected than Sundoro. An 800-m-wide horseshoe-shaped summit crater breached to the NE is partially filled by a lava dome that fed a lava flow down to 2400 m elevation. Emplacement of the dome followed the eruption of extensive pyroclastic flows down the NE flank.
The only report of historical activity, in about 1730 CE, may have produced the small phreatic craters found at the summit.
The announcement of an eruption in the Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report (30 July-5 August 2008) was later found to be false. The Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) noted that a pilot reported an eruption plume from Sumbing on 1 August 2008. The plume allegedly rose to an altitude of 4.9 km and drifted W. However, ash was not identified on satellite imagery. Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) observers at the local observatory saw only non-eruptive processes at the volcano, and they noted brush fires in September and October. A common problem in this active region occurs when drifting plumes become linked to the wrong volcano.

The painter 
Basoeki (or Basuki) Abdullah is one of the modern master painters of Indonesia, known as a realist and naturalist painter. He has been appointed as the official painter of Merdeka Palace in Jakarta and works adorn palaces and presidential countries Indonesia, in addition to have been collectibles from around the world. His father, Abdullah Suriosubroto, was a famous painter and dancer, while his grandfather,  Doctor Wahidin Sudirohusodo, was a prominent Indonesian National Awakening Movement in the early 1900's. Since the age of 4 years, he began to paint  famous personalities such as Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and even "Jesus Christ and Krishnamurti".
His acquired a formal education in the Basoeki Abdullah Catholic and Catholic Mulo in Solo.
In 1933,  he obtained a scholarship to study at the Academic Arts in The Hague, Netherlands, and completed his studies within 3 years with awarded Certificate of Royal International of Art (RIA). On 6 September 1948,  during the revolutionary period,  Basoeki Abdullah is housed in Amsterdam (Netherlands) during the coronation of Queen Juliana which held a contest to paint, he defeated 87 European painters and managed to come out as winners.
Since then, the world began to recognize Basoeki Abdullah, during his frequent visits around Europe (Italy and France) and was well known by many resident artists with a worldwide reputation.
_______________________________
2018 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau

GUNUNG SUMBING (1) BY BASOEKI ABDULLAH

BASOEKI ABDULLAH (1915 -1993)

Gunung Sumbing  (3,371m -11,060 ft) 

Indonesia  (Java)

The mountain 
Gunung Sumbing  (3,371 m - 11,060 ft)  or Gurung Sumbing  (meaning Mount Sumbing) is a prominent high stratovolcano that lies across a 1400-m-high saddle from symmetrical Sundoro (3,136m) volcano in central Java. Prominent cones are located on the N and SE flanks, which is somewhat more dissected than Sundoro. An 800-m-wide horseshoe-shaped summit crater breached to the NE is partially filled by a lava dome that fed a lava flow down to 2400 m elevation. Emplacement of the dome followed the eruption of extensive pyroclastic flows down the NE flank.
The only report of historical activity, in about 1730 CE, may have produced the small phreatic craters found at the summit.
The announcement of an eruption in the Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report (30 July-5 August 2008) was later found to be false. The Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) noted that a pilot reported an eruption plume from Sumbing on 1 August 2008. The plume allegedly rose to an altitude of 4.9 km and drifted W. However, ash was not identified on satellite imagery. Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) observers at the local observatory saw only non-eruptive processes at the volcano, and they noted brush fires in September and October. A common problem in this active region occurs when drifting plumes become linked to the wrong volcano.

The painter 
Basoeki (or Basuki) Abdullah is one of the modern master painters of Indonesia, known as a realist and naturalist painter. He has been appointed as the official painter of Merdeka Palace in Jakarta and works adorn palaces and presidential countries Indonesia, in addition to have been collectibles from around the world. His father, Abdullah Suriosubroto, was a famous painter and dancer, while his grandfather,  Doctor Wahidin Sudirohusodo, was a prominent Indonesian National Awakening Movement in the early 1900's. Since the age of 4 years, he began to paint  famous personalities such as Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and even "Jesus Christ and Krishnamurti".
His acquired a formal education in the Basoeki Abdullah Catholic and Catholic Mulo in Solo.
In 1933,  he obtained a scholarship to study at the Academic Arts in The Hague, Netherlands, and completed his studies within 3 years with awarded Certificate of Royal International of Art (RIA). On 6 September 1948,  during the revolutionary period,  Basoeki Abdullah is housed in Amsterdam (Netherlands) during the coronation of Queen Juliana which held a contest to paint, he defeated 87 European painters and managed to come out as winners.
Since then, the world began to recognize Basoeki Abdullah, during his frequent visits around Europe (Italy and France) and was well known by many resident artists with a worldwide reputation.

_______________________________

2018 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau 

GUNUNG RINJANI PAINTED BY ERNEST DEZENTJE

ERNEST DEZENTJE (1885- 1972)

Gunung Rinjani (3,727m - 12,224ft)

Indonesia (Lombok) 

The mountain
Gunung Rinjani (3,727m - 12,224ft) is an active volcano in Indonesia on the island of Lombok, the second highest volcano in Indonesia. On the top of the volcano is a 6-by-8.5-kilometre (3.7 by 5.3 mi) caldera, which is filled partially by the crater lake known as Segara Anak or Anak Laut (Child of the Sea), due to the color of its water, as blue as the sea (laut).This lake is approximately 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level and estimated to be about 200 metres (660 ft) deep; the caldera also contains hot springs. Sasak tribe and Hindu people assume the lake and the mount are sacred and some religious activities are occasionally done in the two areas.[3] On 27 September 2016 14:45 WITA Rinjani erupted.
UNESCO has made Mount Rinjani Caldera a part of the Global Geoparks Network in April 2018.

The painter
The ‘Indisch’- Indonesian landscape painter Ernest Regnard Leonce Dezentjé was an autodidact. His career (mostly local) began when first president of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno (1901-1970), - who declared the independence of the country in 1945, felt in love with his painting and decided to make him the "court painter". Dezentje was then labelled an impressionist of the early Indonesian School, being considered by critics and young artists as a typical establishment artist. Along his eminently nationalistic themas the mountains and volcanoes of Indonesia took a important place.
_________________________________
2018 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau

GUNUNG BROMO PAINTED BY ERNEST DEZENTJE

ERNEST DEZENTJE (1885- 1972),
Gunung Bromo (2,329m - 7,641ft)

Indonesia (Java Timur)

The mountain 

Gunung Bromo (2,329m - 7,641ft) or Gunung Brama, an active volcano,in East Java, Indonesia,  is not the highest peak of the Tengger massif, but the best known. The massif area is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god. Gunung Bromo sits in the middle of a plain called the "Sea of Sand"  a protected nature reserve since 1919. The best way to visit Gunung Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang, from where it is possible to walk during 45 mn to the volcano. It is also possible to take an organised jeep tour, which includes a stop at the viewpoint on Gunung Penanjakan (2,770 m - 9,088 ft).

On the fourteenth day of the Hindu festival of Yadnya Kasada, the Tenggerese people of Probolinggo, East Java, travel up the mountain in order to make offerings of fruit, rice, vegetables, flowers and sacrifices to the mountain gods by throwing it into the caldera of the volcano. The origin of the ritual lies in the 15th century legend when princess  Roro Anteng started the principality of Tengger with her husband, Joko Seger. The couple were childless and therefore beseeched the assistance of the mountain gods. The gods granted them 24 children but stipulated that the 25th child, named Kesuma, must be thrown into the volcano as a human sacrifice. The gods' request was implemented. The tradition of throwing sacrifices into the volcano to appease these ancient deities continues today and is called the Yadnya Kasada ceremony. Though fraught with danger, some locals risk climbing down into the crater in an attempt to recollect the sacrificed goods that they believe could bring them good luck.

Depending on the degree of volcanic activity, the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Disaster Hazard Mitigation sometimes issues warnings against visiting Mount Bromo.

 Mount Bromo recently erupted in 2004, 2010, 2011 and 2015.

The painter

The ‘Indisch’- Indonesian landscape painter Ernest Regnard Leonce Dezentjé was an autodidact.  His career  (mostly local) began when first president of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno (1901-1970), - who declared the independence of the country in 1945, felt in love with his painting and decided to make him the  "court painter".  Dezentje was then labelled an impressionist of the early Indonesian School, being considered by critics and young artists as a  typical establishment artist.  Along his eminently nationalistic themas the mountains and volcanoes of Indonesia took a important place.