Jakarta. An exhibition portraying the life of legendary artist Affandi through his own works was held at the National Gallery in Central Jakarta this month, featuring 15 paintings from as old as World War Two era.

The collection includes Affandi’s self and family portraits, human objects and natural landscapes, which represent his journey from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Affandi is famous for his unorthodox style and “honest approach” in mirroring the real circumstance facing the society around him, rather than to depict what people want to see. 

At the later stage of his works, he developed a technique of squeezing the paint from the tube and applied directly on the canvas, instead of using a brush.

The exhibition titled “Immersive Affandi: Human, Space, Nature” is open until November 25 as part of the 2020 National Cultural Weeks. 

In addition to the valuable paintings, the organizer uses digital video featuring 98 paintings to help visitors explore the history of the expressionist painter -- one of the greatest in Asia.

Born in the West Java town of Cirebon in 1907, Affandi toured around the world in the 1940s and 1950s to exhibit his works and improve his skill. He spent the rest of his life in Yogyakarta, where a museum of his works is founded. He died in May 1990 at the age of 83 and was buried near the museum.

The organizer requires prior registration as the number of visitors is limited to 20 at every session. The exhibition is open from 10.00 a.m. to 05.00 p.m. in six sessions, each lasting one hour.