Otto Djaya

Otto Djajasoentara (Enhanced Spelling: Otto Jayasuntara, 6 October 1916 – 23 June 2002), better known as Otto Djaya, was an Indonesian painter. Born to a civil servant, Djaya followed his elder brother Agus into art as a member of the Indonesian Painters Association. During the Japanese occupation, Djaya was a member of the Cultural Centre and received training with the Defenders of the Homeland. After time fighting with the People's Security Army in the Indonesian National Revolution, Otto was dispatched with Agus to the Netherlands, where they exhibited Indonesian art. Djaya returned to Indonesia in 1950, and after marriage he focused more on raising his family moved than on his art. In the 1990s, Djaya began to dedicate himself to painting, holding exhibitions in Jakarta and Yogyakarta. Noted for his impressionist influences, Djaya's style has been described as replete with humour, with particular emphasis given to his human figures and depictions of everyday life in Indonesia. Several posthumous exhibitions have featured his works, including at the National Gallery of Indonesia in Jakarta and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. However, in histories of Indonesian art, Djaya has been less prominent than his brother and their contemporary S. Sudjojono.