Umi Dachlan

Umi Dachlan, born Umajah Dachlan, (13 August 1942 – 1 January 2009), was a pioneering Indonesian painter and an art lecturer. She graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at the Bandung Institute of Technology ITB in 1968 as the third female graduate, where she also become the first female lecturer. Her work has been described as Abstract expressionism with a figurative Lyricism. Umi Dachlan was born on 13 August 1942 in Cirebon as the ninth of ten children. Her father, Muchamad Dachlan, was a devout Muslim and businessman, who died when Umi was only seven years old. Her mother, Rogayah struggled to raise and educate her children in the difficult time during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. Cirebon was the base for the Japanese power in West Jawa, and also a center of resistance. This made life especially hard during the end of the World War II with the Japanese occupation and the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence in 1945, and the end of the Dutch occupation of the Dutch East Indies in 1949. The family home had a large courtyard, which was often used for traditional Cirebonese performances, such as traditional Topeng mask dances, Barong Kepet magic shows, and Martial Arts practices, which fascinated Umi in particular. These performances exposed her to various arts right from her childhood, where she showed her talent for painting, especially her love of drawing.