Indonesian Artist Lucia Hartini's (vegan) Surreal Universe

“Only through my paintings, can I share the surrealistic experiences that I have seen in my real surrealistic world.” Lucia Hartini is an Indonesian painter. She is well-known for her beautiful surrealism and portraying unique phenomena in nature. Her artwork has been exhibited around the world in Japan, the United States, Australia, and Malaysia. Her painting, “The Blue Moon,” is part of the Tokyo Fukuoka Museum collection in Japan.

“When I was little, I dreamed of flying high, and I painted what I dreamed. And it turned out to be objects of nature, such as the stars, the moon, the sun, the wind, the water, the mountain, the ocean. My diet is vegetarian. So it makes me calmer, lighter, healthier, the inspiration comes sooner. Especially if I meditate, the visions come so quickly that it is unexpected.” Often inspired by her own encounters with other realms through her meditation practice, Lucia’s paintings intend to merge the dualism of the realistic world.

Her hatching technique with oil paints enables her to create highly detailed paintings. In the famous Jakarta newspaper “Kompas,” there was a prominent report on a very special topic – “Umbrella 2000”: “When we looked at Tini’s (nickname for Lucia Hartini) painting, we could see that it is heavily loaded with alarm for the future. The woman is holding an umbrella, the shaft and the top of which were drawn as circling clouds. And at the fringe of the umbrella hung the planets. Due to the composition of the colors and the dynamics of the painting, it was entitled ‘Message of the Umbrella 2000.’”

Lucia Hartini mentions in her blog: “While exhibiting my painting “Payung 2000,” or “Umbrella 2000,” some people told me that the woman in the painting resembles Supreme Master Ching Hai. I was taken [aback] initially, as I [had] never intended for the woman in the painting to be anyone in particular.” “Finally, one day, I got introduced to a Master who guides me, and Her symbol is holding an umbrella for shelter. At last, I felt, whoa, how surreal this is. Finally, I got that. I am more, live more healthily, am calmer, paint more, with more distant imagination, which, if I can put it into words, is more peaceful for my soul, more peaceful for my heart.”

Inspired by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Lucia Hartini also painted “Silent Prayer I” and “Silent Prayer II.” Let’s take a look at some of her other remarkable creations.