Bamboo Trees
Affandi is one of the most prominent painters in Indonesia, along with Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan, and Basoeki Abdullah. The 1907-born man joined the fight for independence through his many works.
He also founded and was a part of several artist collectives. Among those are Seniman Masjarakat (Artists of the Society), Seniman Indonesia Muda or SIM (Indonesian Young Artist Association), Pelukis Rakjat (The People's Painters), and Gabungan Pelukis Indonesia or GPI (Indonesian Painters Coalition). For his services to the country, Affandi was awarded "Bintang Jasa Utama" (First Class Star of Service) in 1978 by President Soeharto. Affandi's visual and technique set him apart from other Indonesian artists. The Cirebon-born artists used a method called plototan in his artworks, putting paint on the canvas straight from the tube.
The painting titled "Bamboo Trees" by Affandi in 1985 is not a mere landscape of bamboo trees. Outside of the expressionist elegance of the bamboo trees in the painting, the same trees have significant importance in Indonesian society. During the fight for independence, the freedom fighters used sharpened bamboo stems, aptly named bambu runcing (sharp bamboo), against the occupying force. Though simple, the weapon could be deadly in close quarters. With only bambu runcing in hand, the freedom fighters bravely challenged death by facing the opponents' much more advanced weaponry. Apart from that deadly function, bamboo trees can also become housing materials. One example is gedek, a form of bamboo wicker that is used to make walls. Bamboo became the material of choice for housing due to its availability and economically-friendly price range.
