You may have thought that Indonesia's independence was achieved only because we took up arms. In reality, it is the result of the struggle of all Indonesian people. For example, the struggles of soldiers with their sharpened bamboo weapons, national figures and statesmen through their negotiations, and artists who raise people's spirits through their works.
It cannot be denied that the works of artists during the struggle had an extraordinarily important role. Just imagine, after being colonized for tens or even hundreds of years, how did the people feel at that time? Of course, very tired and wanted to immediately escape the shackles of colonialism. This side of pain is what artists highlight in their works. Through writing and drawings, they succeeded in voicing ideas that aroused the enthusiasm of the Indonesian people for independence from colonialism.
Characteristics and Role of Design
Visuals in Times of Struggle
The high level of fighting spirit in achieving independence is reflected in several examples of visual designs such as posters, paintings, murals and also graffiti. Even though these designs use different words, in general they have the same thing, namely that they are persuasive and function as a trigger for the fighting spirit to win independence at that time.
You can see this from the choice of background which predominantly uses red as a symbol of courage. Apart from that, the choice of words used also uses many encouraging words such as: "fight", "come on", "freedom", "alert", "be careful", and so on.
Phrases like "Freedom or Death" can at least give an idea of how idealism in achieving independence was echoed at that time. That it is better to die than to live under colonialism.
It can be concluded that during the Indonesian independence revolution, visual design media had several important roles. First, as a medium to convey information to the Indonesian people about the reality of the struggle at that time. Second, as a propaganda tool to convey political aspirations to the wider community.
The works of art that appeared at that time seemed to represent people's feelings of being shackled and thirsting for freedom. Because without high self-confidence, sharpened bamboo will never be able to defeat the sophisticated weapons of the invaders.
So, what are some examples of visual design during Indonesia's struggle? Here are examples:
1. Painting "Freedom or Death"
This sentence is taken from Bung Karno's speech on June 1 1945 entitled "The Birth of Pancasila". It was so viral that the words "Freedom or Death" were often found on walls and train carriages at that time. This painting is the work of M. Sochieb who also fought during the Indonesian independence revolution.
2. Poster "Boeng, Ajo Boeng!"
This poster originated from a request from Bung Karno when he was still Chairman of the PPKI (Indonesian Independence Implementing Committee) to Affandi, the Indonesian maestro painter. Bung Karno asked Affandi to make a struggle poster that could ignite the fighting spirit of the Indonesian people. Affandi then agreed and immediately discussed it with S. Sudjono.
From the results of their discussion, a poster was finally made with a picture of a man with his hands escaping from the chains that were holding him. The poster also uses a red and white flag background. Chairil Anwar then added the words "Boeng, Ajo Boeng!" to add a persuasive element to the poster. This poster seems to say "Come on, this is the time for us to be independent, free from the chains of colonialism that have shackled us all this time".
3. Mural "Teroes Berdjoang Oentoek Safety Together"
This mural with the words "Teroes Berdjoang oentoek Sambal Safety" was immortalized by JC Taillie in September 1947 in Garut, West Java. This mural has a background image of a red and white flag accompanied by a row of fighters and a picture of the economic life of society at that time.
Explicitly, the writing in this mural invites people not to get tired of fighting for safety. Safety in this case can be associated with completely safe conditions which can only be felt if Indonesia is truly independent.
4. “United for Independence” graffiti
Graffiti reads "Freedom is the glory of any nation. "Indonesia for Indonesians" was immortalized by a photographer named Cas Oorthuys in 1946. This example of visual design is a reflection of the ideology of the Indonesian people who believe that independence is the right of all nations. Apart from that, this work also contains the view that the mother earth and all its contents should be enjoyed by the Indonesian people themselves, not the colonial nation.