Abdullah Soeriosoebroto

1878 – 1941

Abdullah Soeriosoebroto is regarded as one of Indonesia’s first modern painters of the 20th century. The son of nationalist figure Wahidin Sudirohusodo and father of painters S. Abdullah and Basoeki Abdullah, he was initially sent to the Netherlands to study medicine but chose to pursue painting instead. He studied at a preparatory drawing school in Leiden and continued at the Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. Upon returning to Indonesia, he worked briefly in Yogyakarta Palace and later in a soap factory in West Java before fully dedicating himself to art.

Renowned for his serene landscapes, particularly of West Java, Abdullah became associated with the Mooi Indie style in the late 1930s. His paintings often captured the beauty, tranquility, and lushness of rural scenes around Bandung. He spent much of his career there before moving to Yogyakarta, where he lived until his death in 1941.