Artwork

A Dutch Bomber Bombing the Fort in the Center of the City of Jogyakarta

Mohammad Toha Adimidjojo , 1948

A Dutch Bomber Bombing the Fort in the Center of the City of Jogyakarta is an unspecified painting by the Social Realist artist Mohammad Toha Adimidjojo. It dates from 1948 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Technique & Style

2 cm in width, a format consistent with a small-scale easel work on a portable support rather than a large mural.

The work is classified as a painting, executed in 1948 by Mohammad Toha Adimidjojo in Yogyakarta. It is held in the Rijksmuseum collection. The painting is modest in scale, measuring 16.9 cm in height by 24.2 cm in width, a format consistent with a small-scale easel work on a portable support rather than a large mural.

Its subject matter, depicting a tree and a house alongside the bombing scene, suggests a compact, observational composition built around recognizable local elements rather than an abstract or stylized treatment.

No source provides further detail on the specific medium (oil, watercolor, gouache, or other), the support (canvas, board, or paper), the handling of paint, the present condition of the work, or any stylistic descriptors such as brushwork, palette, or stylistic affiliation. Those aspects of technique and style are not documented in the available material.

History & Provenance

A Dutch Bomber Bombing the Fort in the Center of the City of Jogyakarta was created in 1948 by Mohammad Toha Adimidjojo. The painting was produced in Yogyakarta, the same city whose central fort is depicted in the work. It is classified as a painting and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is currently located.

The sources do not provide further details regarding a commission, prior ownership, or intermediate custodians before its acquisition by the museum.

The painting A Dutch Bomber Bombing the Fort in the Center of the City of Jogyakarta by Mohammad Toha Adimidjojo is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Created in 1948, the work is cataloged within the museum's holdings as an item depicting scenes from Yogyakarta, including trees and houses. The artwork was produced in Yogyakarta and entered the Rijksmuseum's collection, where it remains part of their permanent display of Indonesian art.

Overview

Created in 1948 by Mohammad Toha Adimidjojo, the canvas titled A Dutch Bomber Bombing the Fort in the Center of the City of Jogyakarta is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. The work presents a sparse landscape dominated by a solitary tree and a modest building, set beneath a cloudy sky where two dark specks suggest falling bombs.

Subject & Meaning

The composition juxtaposes a tranquil rural setting, a lone tree, a modest structure, and open grass, with the ominous presence of aerial ordnance. This contrast hints at the disruption of everyday life by wartime violence, evoking the historical moment when Dutch air forces targeted the fortifications of Yogyakarta during the Indonesian National Revolution.

Context

The artwork reflects the broader geopolitical tensions of the late 1940s, when Dutch military operations sought to reassert control over the newly declared Republic of Indonesia. By focusing on a single tree and a small building, the artist abstracts the larger conflict, inviting viewers to contemplate the impact of war on ordinary landscapes.