The Artist
Mardijanto was born in Yogyakarta on February 15, 1927. Within his family, he was affectionately called Janto or Yanto. He was the second of eight children born to Djojosoemardjo and Maryatin, a batik painter.
From an early age, Mardijanto grew up watching and learning the art of batik-making from his mother.
His artistic talent began to develop when he started studying painting at the age of 17 while attending school in Yogyakarta. Later, after moving to Jakarta at the age of 19, Mardijanto began exploring oil painting as well as painting on fabric.
His artistic abilities became increasingly evident as he started experimenting with contemporary batik painting on fabric. At that time, his bold use of striking colors and abstract brushstrokes was still very uncommon. Over the course of approximately 60 years, Mardijanto created hundreds of contemporary batik artworks distinguished by vivid colors, daring compositions, and expressive abstract forms.
After working as a designer for a batik company in Jakarta, Mardijanto continued experimenting with various techniques rooted in traditional batik processes, including combining batik techniques with different artistic media. Among the earliest surviving batik paintings discovered from his collection are works created in 1957 and 1961. His first solo exhibition of batik paintings was held in 1966 at Balai Budaya Jakarta.
Mardijanto ultimately chose painting as his lifelong profession, although he was also a talented pianist. He studied piano under Max Saffrie and E. von Romer Galois. During his career, he worked as both a decorative painter and pianist at Namarina Dance Academy under the leadership of Nanny Lubis. As a pianist, he accompanied ballet performances at several
prominent venues, including Gedung Olah Raga in Gambir, Hotel des Indes, Gedung Kesenian Pasar Baru, and Taman Ismail Marzuki.
In addition to his artistic career, Mardijanto also served as one of the judges at the Festival Irama Daerah Indonesia Modern on March 26, 1960, alongside several prominent Indonesian musicians of the era, including Saiful Bahri, Iskandar, Sudharnoto, Tjok Sinsu, Bing Slamet, Drs. Marihot Hutabarat, and Henny Gatot.
Artistic Journey
Mardijanto’s interest in the visual arts began during his youth in Yogyakarta. After moving to Jakarta, he further developed his painting skills under the guidance of Zaini and Oesmar Effendi within the cultural circle of the Badan Musyawarah Kebudayaan Nasional (BMKN) in 1956.
From that period onward, he actively participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions. His works were exhibited in several prominent art spaces, including Balai Budaya, Hotel Indonesia, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Goethe-Institut, the Indonesian-American Association (Lembaga Indonesia-Amerika), Chase Manhattan Bank, as well as various galleries and private collections in Indonesia and abroad.
One of his notable exhibitions in Jakarta in 1969 received support from the French Ambassador to Indonesia, Claude Cheysson. His final exhibition took place in Massachusetts, United States, in 1997, featuring batik collections owned by Harrison Parker, when Mardijanto was 70 years old.
His early visual experiences through learning batik from his mother became an important foundation in the development of his artistic aesthetics.
Throughout his life, Mardijanto continued to learn independently as a self-taught artist. In addition to painting, he also worked as an illustrator for Majalah Yayasan Pendidikan Guru and the weekly publication Star Week.
Besides painting, Mardijanto was also a talented pianist. His father, a violinist, played an important role in shaping his artistic sensibility.
He studied piano under Max Saffrie and E. von Romer Galois, and later worked as both an Art Director and pianist at the Namarina Dance Academy led by Nanny Lubis.
His deep connection to music strongly influenced the visual rhythm of his works. The lines, colors, and forms in Mardijanto’s paintings often unfold like dynamic musical compositions in motion.
After working as a designer for a batik company in Jakarta, Mardijanto began developing a new approach to the batik medium. He not only preserved the traditional batik-making process, but also combined it with various modern visual art techniques. These experiments resulted in works that expanded the possibilities of batik as a medium of artistic expression.
The earliest surviving batik paintings discovered among his works date back to 1957 and 1964. His first solo exhibition was held in 1966 at Balai Budaya Jakarta.
In a number of his works, he combined traditional batik techniques with explorations of modern color and texture within a single visual composition.
Exhibition in London
Details Coming Soon...
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Get in Touch
Contact us today if you wish to find out more about Mardijanto, including details about our upcoming exhibition in London, United Kingdom.
Email: info@mardijanto-batikheritage.com