Career
Alongside other painters, intellectuals and poets, he advocated a universalist ideal for culture, advocating the creation of art concerns that could communicate to people of all backgrounds. Mochtar was well travelled and for seven years of his life, from 1951 to 1959, he took the initiative to journey around Europe looking at art and visiting museums. With such knowledge, Mochtar was well equipped to debate on the role of art in Indonesia.