Mohammad Toha

Mohammad Toha was 11 years old when the Dutch attacked his home city of Yogyakarta on 19 December 1948. By then, the young and talented illustrator had already had a year of lessons from the Social Realist painter Dullah.

With four other boys, he learned how to make quick watercolour sketches without being seen. Dullah’s plan was for the boys to be documentary painters who provided a record of the situation in the city. The boys also worked as cigarette vendors, which allowed them to walk the streets without being noticed.

On 19 December 1948, Mohammad Toha watched as a squadron of Dutch bombers approached his city at sunrise. This heralded the beginning of the Dutch occupation of Yogyakarta, which was Toha’s city and the seat of the Republican government.

Toha braved great danger to paint his pictures. One of his fellow artists, Sarjito, died in Tangerang juvenile prison. Another of the boys, Sri Suwarno, went missing and was never seen again.

Toha’s father was arrested. Later, the Dutch soldiers came to Toha’s house looking for his brother. Toha even managed to capture this intimidating episode in watercolours. He depicted himself sitting in the left corner of the room.

Toha not only painted Dutch military operations. On 1 March 1949, the Indonesian army briefly recaptured Yogyakarta from the Dutch, and he recorded their offensive in watercolours too. But it wasn’t long before Dutch forces took back control of the city.