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