As a collector, it is a great priviledge to have their portrait painted by Hardi. As an artist with years of experience and expertise in anatomy, painting portrait is just another day at the job. However, this is never the case for Hardi. He choses the subject that he wanted to paint: because he likes them or because he admires them. With each painting, he captured the soul and the spirit of each characters. This makes it one-of-a-kind.

 

One interesting stories about one portrait that he made of the late Indonesia's President Soeharto. In March 2008, he painted Soeharto's portrait entitled "Semar Super". This is to commemorate the Order of March the Eleventh - an order given by President Soekarno (the first President of Indonesia) to give power to Soeharto who then was a Army Commander to resolve conflict. This then legitimize Soeharto's step to became Indonesia's second President, who later on ruled for 32 years under the New Order. Hardi painted Soeharto alongside the famous Semar, a powerful figure in Javanese Mythology. In the portrait, Soeharto looks a bit pale. Who would have wonder that a couple of months later, May 21st 2008, Soeharto steps down from his presidency. The portrait and the event may be two separate events, but this shows the sensitivity of Hardi as a painter. This is what makes Hardi's portrait special.