Add sketching the village damsel to small-town ‘entertainment’ as the gaggle of curious admirers obviously attests. It’s also an opportunity for the testosterone-charged male to ogle at the pretty sitter, which they otherwise wouldn’t even dare glance at. There is an obvious sneering look of jealousy in the maiden near the tree looking on, while another is walking nearer to see what the fuss is all about. Otto Djaya (nee Otto Djajasuntara), in his simplistic renditions, had always injected a dose of humour into his paintings of everyday situations, particularly in the villages. Born in Rangkasbitung in West Java in 1916, Djaya learned Art at the Indonesian Painters Union (Persagi) atelier, headed by his elder brother Agus (1913-1994). A soldier with the rank of ‘Major,’ he was injured in the fight for Indonesian independence. Together with Agus, he studied at the Rijks Academy in Amsterdam in 1947-50, and his works were accepted at the Grand Prix de Peinture de Monaco in Monte Carlo. He also took part in the Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil. His first solo was in 1978 in Jakarta but he was largely forgotten until the retrospective, 100 Years of Otto Djaya, at the Indonesian National Gallery in Jakarta in September-October 2016, culled from the collection of Hans Peter and Inge-Marie Holst, who are now based in Kuala Lumpur.