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Lot Essay
Lee Man Fong is considered one of the most outstanding artists in Southeast Asian art—a synthesis of traditional Chinese techniques and subject matter with Western mediums and styles. Balinese Man with Fighting Cockerel (Lot 444) is one of Lee's earlier works, and encapsulates the significance of the three months he spent in Bali, capturing the life and culture of the local Balinese people.
The present lot is demonstrative of Lee's ability to capture a moment in time and to immortalise a slice of the rich Balinese island life and culture that enthralled him. Lee certainly romanticises his subject matter, consciously constructing and posing the inhabitants of his exoticised world in aesthetically-pleasing arrangements that give his paintings an intimacy, drawing viewers in to feel almost as if they were present within the scene— quiet observers chancing upon a private moment of a Balinese man and his prized fighting cockerel.
The painting reflects Lee's preference for a muted colour palette as is typical of European paintings, strong brushwork, as well as a powerful interplay of light and colour. Balinese Man with Fighting Cockerel depicts a central figure of a local Balinese man dressed in a deep blue sarong (a length of fabric often wrapped around the waist) and an ornate cap—elements of traditional Balinese dress—anxiously clutching his fighting cockerel as he awaits the beginning of a cockfight—an ancient Balinese sport and tradition. Lee captures a momentary glimpse of anticipation and rare tranquility as the man, brows furrowed, looks toward the distance, perhaps at the cockfight that is about to commence. His beautifully plumed bird creates the impression of a sense of movement rendered through Lee's swift and swirling strokes that evoke the powerful energy of a bird primed to fight, and of course, emerge the victor.
Light is also one of the central characteristics of Lee's works, and the man is seemingly illuminated from an unseen light source shining in from the upper left corner of the painting. The directionality of the light causes him and the cockerel to appear to be lit from an angle, creating a difference in tonality as seen in the darker shades gathered within the shadows of the 'light'. This interplay between light and colour is highly reminiscent of the use of chiaroscuro in Italian Baroque painting, and lends a dramatic quality to the work.
Balinese Man with Fighting Cockerel represents an homage to Balinese tradition and cultural heritage, and is an expression of the Balinese mode of life that inspired and delighted Lee Man Fong. Imbued with a sense of solemnity, drama, and simplicity in the humble depiction of the subject and his bird, the painting is an exemplification of Lee's own belief that 'art is an essence of culture without the form of written words but only strokes that tell directly to anyone regardless of time, race and language'
The present lot is demonstrative of Lee's ability to capture a moment in time and to immortalise a slice of the rich Balinese island life and culture that enthralled him. Lee certainly romanticises his subject matter, consciously constructing and posing the inhabitants of his exoticised world in aesthetically-pleasing arrangements that give his paintings an intimacy, drawing viewers in to feel almost as if they were present within the scene— quiet observers chancing upon a private moment of a Balinese man and his prized fighting cockerel.
The painting reflects Lee's preference for a muted colour palette as is typical of European paintings, strong brushwork, as well as a powerful interplay of light and colour. Balinese Man with Fighting Cockerel depicts a central figure of a local Balinese man dressed in a deep blue sarong (a length of fabric often wrapped around the waist) and an ornate cap—elements of traditional Balinese dress—anxiously clutching his fighting cockerel as he awaits the beginning of a cockfight—an ancient Balinese sport and tradition. Lee captures a momentary glimpse of anticipation and rare tranquility as the man, brows furrowed, looks toward the distance, perhaps at the cockfight that is about to commence. His beautifully plumed bird creates the impression of a sense of movement rendered through Lee's swift and swirling strokes that evoke the powerful energy of a bird primed to fight, and of course, emerge the victor.
Light is also one of the central characteristics of Lee's works, and the man is seemingly illuminated from an unseen light source shining in from the upper left corner of the painting. The directionality of the light causes him and the cockerel to appear to be lit from an angle, creating a difference in tonality as seen in the darker shades gathered within the shadows of the 'light'. This interplay between light and colour is highly reminiscent of the use of chiaroscuro in Italian Baroque painting, and lends a dramatic quality to the work.
Balinese Man with Fighting Cockerel represents an homage to Balinese tradition and cultural heritage, and is an expression of the Balinese mode of life that inspired and delighted Lee Man Fong. Imbued with a sense of solemnity, drama, and simplicity in the humble depiction of the subject and his bird, the painting is an exemplification of Lee's own belief that 'art is an essence of culture without the form of written words but only strokes that tell directly to anyone regardless of time, race and language'