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Lot Essay
Captivated by the richness of Indonesian life and culture, Hendra Gunawan sought to express his nationalistic fervour and love for his country through his art. Frequently deploying the portrayal of women as a symbol of the Indonesian motherland By the Beach (Lot 130) is a work that displays the artist's range as well as unique sensitivity in portraying the essence of life in Indonesia.
The importance of women in the works of Hendra was discussed by Astri Wright who wrote that "Hendra's women are types, not clearly distinguishable individuals, and many interpretations of their roles and meanings are possible. At the most basic level, they are nourishing, nursing, mothering beauties, voluptuous and undulating bodies wrapped in brightly coloured cloth They are young and their long graceful arms, exaggerating the elegant hand movements that are so typically Javanese, contrast with their thick feet with widely spread toes - the feet of villagers and farmers. This way of depicting feet, as well as the use of exaggerated profiles, with long necks, protruding noses, and large eyes, echoes the stylization of human form found in wayang." (Astri Wright, Soul, Spirit, and Mountain: Preoccupations of Contemporary Indonesian Painters, Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 176).
By the Beach features two female figures against a dramatic seaside landscape. The composition of the painting is typical of Hendra's classical portraitures where the sitter, with her elongated and voluptuous frame, donned a traditional batik dress of exquisite intricacy and had her side profile enhanced, just like in wayang kulit, or traditional Javanese shadow puppetry. The two figures in the present lot are depicted as if in mid-motion, their fluid fingers and elegant posture suggesting the elegance and emotion of traditional dance. There is no doubt that the theme of theatricality and drama consistently reveals itself across Hendra's oeuvre, and By the Beach is a fine example of the subtle power and strength of feeling that the artist conveys through his clean brushstrokes and lively palette.
The importance of women in the works of Hendra was discussed by Astri Wright who wrote that "Hendra's women are types, not clearly distinguishable individuals, and many interpretations of their roles and meanings are possible. At the most basic level, they are nourishing, nursing, mothering beauties, voluptuous and undulating bodies wrapped in brightly coloured cloth They are young and their long graceful arms, exaggerating the elegant hand movements that are so typically Javanese, contrast with their thick feet with widely spread toes - the feet of villagers and farmers. This way of depicting feet, as well as the use of exaggerated profiles, with long necks, protruding noses, and large eyes, echoes the stylization of human form found in wayang." (Astri Wright, Soul, Spirit, and Mountain: Preoccupations of Contemporary Indonesian Painters, Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 176).
By the Beach features two female figures against a dramatic seaside landscape. The composition of the painting is typical of Hendra's classical portraitures where the sitter, with her elongated and voluptuous frame, donned a traditional batik dress of exquisite intricacy and had her side profile enhanced, just like in wayang kulit, or traditional Javanese shadow puppetry. The two figures in the present lot are depicted as if in mid-motion, their fluid fingers and elegant posture suggesting the elegance and emotion of traditional dance. There is no doubt that the theme of theatricality and drama consistently reveals itself across Hendra's oeuvre, and By the Beach is a fine example of the subtle power and strength of feeling that the artist conveys through his clean brushstrokes and lively palette.