.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
“But we were born naked, weren’t we; what could be more natural and pure than a nude human being, completely uncovered?” -Affandi
Aside from his well-known humanitarian subjects and motifs, Affandi’s depiction of nudes are considered rare within his oeuvre . In comparison to the Western cultural environment reaction towards nude and sensual subjects in art, these subjects are regarded as provocative and taboo within the context of a culturally conservative landscape like Indonesia. Thus not many of Affandi’s paintings in this genre were exhibited in order to avoid any negative impression towards his practice as an artist.
Affandi’s portrayal of nude figures started early in his artistic journey, with asking his wife and daughter Kartika, as well as hiring cheap prostitutes together with his contemporaries to practice which began in the early 1940s. Before using models for his nude paintings, he observed and painted himself to study the nuances and movements of the human body. Although Affandi did not study anatomy a theoretical foundation, through this repetitive and time consuming studies, Affandi developed a thoroughness and accuracy in mastering his painterly skill towards perfecting his depiction of human form.
Contrary to Affandi’s nude portraits from an earlier period that are more realist in style complete with conventional interior background settings for his models, his later works focused on his emotional interpretation to his subject using his signature expressive lines, showcased confidently in the present lot. Nude was painted at the pinnacle of Affandi’s artistic period, in the 1960s. Eddy Sutriono, an Art critic, mentioned that: “Within this framework, Affandi’s paintings are not the objective representations of things seen but also his projection of emotional expressions through the subject of his works. A painting is no longer the faithful representation of visible phenomena; rather, it expresses the artist’s own inner life.” It was hence imperative for Affandi to spend time familiarizing himself with his subjects in order to extract and express an emotional connection. With Affandi’s brand of honest expression, his vigorous strokes and lines speaks the truth about daily human life.
Painted in mostly green and yellow as many of his nudes and sensual subjects, Nude portrays the sensual sexuality of a woman. With this painting, the viewer takes on the perspective of the painter’s unabashed view. Articulate and expressive lines of paint shape the sumptuous figure of the woman who reclines luxuriously while Affandi sculpts her form on the canvas with gestural motions. The swirling and abstracted background capturing the painter’s strong emotion and focus our attention entirely on the figure. Clear lines and voluminous hair frame her face with two expressive red lines defining her sensual lips. Affandi’s lines bring a luscious volume to the woman’s lower body and legs, while white lines of impasto beneath the woman afford a textural quality to the woven bamboo mat. The rendering of female figure in this Nude is comparable to the Classical nude sculptures or paintings of the renaissance era, and her generous form reflects the proportions of ancient statuary where busty woman was portrayed as an ideal of beauty, love and sexuality.
According to Chairil Anwar, Affandi’s close friend and an important Indonesian poet, Affandi’s nudes is ”full of passions and emotions, mature and rich with experiences, and (Affandi is) able to convey them astonishingly so that his works feel deep and touching.” Nude is a further testimony to Affandi’s development as a humanist painter, dealing not only with the holy, or even the ordinary, but also the base and the primordial. It is this broad spectrum of Affandi’s interests in all aspects of human experience that establish him firmly as one of the most important painters of his generation.
Nude was acquired by Helder Martins de Moraes, a Brazilian journalist, filmmaker and former diplomat. He was a former diplomat of Brazil to Indonesia from 1969-1971. Helder Martins de Moraes was a friend to one of Indonesia’s prominent art collector, Mr. Alex Papadimitriou, and a former colleague of Josias Carneiro Leão. This unique history and exceptional provenance adding to the importance of this painting in Indonesian art history.
Aside from his well-known humanitarian subjects and motifs, Affandi’s depiction of nudes are considered rare within his oeuvre . In comparison to the Western cultural environment reaction towards nude and sensual subjects in art, these subjects are regarded as provocative and taboo within the context of a culturally conservative landscape like Indonesia. Thus not many of Affandi’s paintings in this genre were exhibited in order to avoid any negative impression towards his practice as an artist.
Affandi’s portrayal of nude figures started early in his artistic journey, with asking his wife and daughter Kartika, as well as hiring cheap prostitutes together with his contemporaries to practice which began in the early 1940s. Before using models for his nude paintings, he observed and painted himself to study the nuances and movements of the human body. Although Affandi did not study anatomy a theoretical foundation, through this repetitive and time consuming studies, Affandi developed a thoroughness and accuracy in mastering his painterly skill towards perfecting his depiction of human form.
Contrary to Affandi’s nude portraits from an earlier period that are more realist in style complete with conventional interior background settings for his models, his later works focused on his emotional interpretation to his subject using his signature expressive lines, showcased confidently in the present lot. Nude was painted at the pinnacle of Affandi’s artistic period, in the 1960s. Eddy Sutriono, an Art critic, mentioned that: “Within this framework, Affandi’s paintings are not the objective representations of things seen but also his projection of emotional expressions through the subject of his works. A painting is no longer the faithful representation of visible phenomena; rather, it expresses the artist’s own inner life.” It was hence imperative for Affandi to spend time familiarizing himself with his subjects in order to extract and express an emotional connection. With Affandi’s brand of honest expression, his vigorous strokes and lines speaks the truth about daily human life.
Painted in mostly green and yellow as many of his nudes and sensual subjects, Nude portrays the sensual sexuality of a woman. With this painting, the viewer takes on the perspective of the painter’s unabashed view. Articulate and expressive lines of paint shape the sumptuous figure of the woman who reclines luxuriously while Affandi sculpts her form on the canvas with gestural motions. The swirling and abstracted background capturing the painter’s strong emotion and focus our attention entirely on the figure. Clear lines and voluminous hair frame her face with two expressive red lines defining her sensual lips. Affandi’s lines bring a luscious volume to the woman’s lower body and legs, while white lines of impasto beneath the woman afford a textural quality to the woven bamboo mat. The rendering of female figure in this Nude is comparable to the Classical nude sculptures or paintings of the renaissance era, and her generous form reflects the proportions of ancient statuary where busty woman was portrayed as an ideal of beauty, love and sexuality.
According to Chairil Anwar, Affandi’s close friend and an important Indonesian poet, Affandi’s nudes is ”full of passions and emotions, mature and rich with experiences, and (Affandi is) able to convey them astonishingly so that his works feel deep and touching.” Nude is a further testimony to Affandi’s development as a humanist painter, dealing not only with the holy, or even the ordinary, but also the base and the primordial. It is this broad spectrum of Affandi’s interests in all aspects of human experience that establish him firmly as one of the most important painters of his generation.
Nude was acquired by Helder Martins de Moraes, a Brazilian journalist, filmmaker and former diplomat. He was a former diplomat of Brazil to Indonesia from 1969-1971. Helder Martins de Moraes was a friend to one of Indonesia’s prominent art collector, Mr. Alex Papadimitriou, and a former colleague of Josias Carneiro Leão. This unique history and exceptional provenance adding to the importance of this painting in Indonesian art history.