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拍品专文
The art of Miguel Covarrubias is one which expresses the artist’s deep connection and admiration for the peoples and landscape of Bali. Drawn by the promise of an untouched, exotic landscape, Miguel Covarrubias along with his wife, made their first trip to Bali in the spring of 1930. Over a period of six months, he developed a strong attachment to the lifestyle and camaraderie experienced while staying with a Balinese family in the region of Badung. Along with the assistance and friendship of German artist Walter Spies – who was by that time already a prolific painter and patron of the arts in Bali – Covarrubias quickly adapted, and immersed himself in Balinese life and culture.
Returning to Bali in 1933, with the intention of a longer, and more permanent stay, Covarrubias was surprised at the changes that had occurred to Bali within his short absence. The development of tourism and the introduction of a cash economy had, in his view, disrupted the peaceful simplicity of Balinese life. It was with this in mind that he set about recording in great anthropological and personal detail, the customs, traditions, rituals, and practices of the indigenous peoples of Bali, resulting in his seminal monograph, Island of Bali, first published in 1937.
In his writing, Covarrubias describes the heady tropical atmosphere and lush abundance of life on the island: “The burning tropical sun shining on the saturated earth produces a steaming, electric, hothouse atmosphere that gives birth to the dripping jungles that cover the slopes of the volcanoes with prehistoric tree-ferns, pandanus, and palms, strangled in a mesh of creepers of all sorts, their trunk smothered with orchids and alive with leeches, fantastic butterflies, birds, and screeching wild monkeys.” (Miguel Covarrubias, Island of Bali , Oxford University Press, 1972, p. 9).
Covarrubias’ art became a visual extension of his literary efforts to preserve and express the sophistication and pride of the Balinese way of life. With subtly varying hues of green and blue, Jungle presents to us the Bali of Covarrubias’ writing. Filling the space of the canvas from edge-to-edge with succulent greenery, Covarrubias demarcates the forest floor, thick understory, canopy, and emergent layers that make up a tropical jungle in the fore, mid, and background of the painting. Composed as such, Covarrubias captures the density that is unique to tropical jungles and clearly distinct from the wide spaces and clearings that characterize European forests. In doing so, Covarrubias situates us firmly within the specificity of the Southeast Asian landscape.
Having initially been a caricature artist, Covarrubias was an excellent colourist, and this acute sensitivity and confidence can be seen clearly in Jungle. Covarrubias had the inimitable ability to imbue his paintings with jewel-toned hues that afforded his works a captivating luminosity. With an expert touch, Covarrubias suggests the fading light of an evening sun with the hint of lighter shades of green and yellow illuminating the foliage in the centre of the painting. In the background, a tall tree stripped bare of foliage catches the fading light coming through the gathering clouds. Rich hues of red and orange further enliven the painting and provide variation amidst the shades of green.
The absence of human presence in the scene makes Jungle particularly distinctive in Covarrubias’ ouevre as a meditation on the majestic and impenetrable beauty of Bali’s natural landscape. The relationship that the Balinese people had with their environment was a point of fascination for Covarrubias, and through his art and writing, sought to understand the deep and inextricable bond between man and nature. In the long history of artists that visited Bali for artistic inspiration, this depiction of man’s place within nature was a common theme, and can be seen in the works of other Indo-European artists such as Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet. Indeed, Covarrubias commented that: “No other race gives the impression of living in such close touch with nature, creates such a complete feeling of harmony between the people and the surroundings.” (Miguel Covarrubias, Island of Bali, Oxford University Press, 1972, p.11).
The vitality of the Balinese people then, Covarrubias argues, can be felt through the pulsing richness of the Balinese environment. We imagine the teeming life of creatures living amidst the thick bushes and tall trees, and the bustling activity of Balinese village life. For now, Covarrubias obscures this behind a curtain of foliage and flora, and in doing so, ensures a perpetuation of the myth and mystery of the tropical island. As we yearn to look between the trees and see past the masses of leaves, Jungle is a visual treat for the senses as Covarrubias encourages us to peer deeper and further through this window of his creation.
Returning to Bali in 1933, with the intention of a longer, and more permanent stay, Covarrubias was surprised at the changes that had occurred to Bali within his short absence. The development of tourism and the introduction of a cash economy had, in his view, disrupted the peaceful simplicity of Balinese life. It was with this in mind that he set about recording in great anthropological and personal detail, the customs, traditions, rituals, and practices of the indigenous peoples of Bali, resulting in his seminal monograph, Island of Bali, first published in 1937.
In his writing, Covarrubias describes the heady tropical atmosphere and lush abundance of life on the island: “The burning tropical sun shining on the saturated earth produces a steaming, electric, hothouse atmosphere that gives birth to the dripping jungles that cover the slopes of the volcanoes with prehistoric tree-ferns, pandanus, and palms, strangled in a mesh of creepers of all sorts, their trunk smothered with orchids and alive with leeches, fantastic butterflies, birds, and screeching wild monkeys.” (Miguel Covarrubias, Island of Bali , Oxford University Press, 1972, p. 9).
Covarrubias’ art became a visual extension of his literary efforts to preserve and express the sophistication and pride of the Balinese way of life. With subtly varying hues of green and blue, Jungle presents to us the Bali of Covarrubias’ writing. Filling the space of the canvas from edge-to-edge with succulent greenery, Covarrubias demarcates the forest floor, thick understory, canopy, and emergent layers that make up a tropical jungle in the fore, mid, and background of the painting. Composed as such, Covarrubias captures the density that is unique to tropical jungles and clearly distinct from the wide spaces and clearings that characterize European forests. In doing so, Covarrubias situates us firmly within the specificity of the Southeast Asian landscape.
Having initially been a caricature artist, Covarrubias was an excellent colourist, and this acute sensitivity and confidence can be seen clearly in Jungle. Covarrubias had the inimitable ability to imbue his paintings with jewel-toned hues that afforded his works a captivating luminosity. With an expert touch, Covarrubias suggests the fading light of an evening sun with the hint of lighter shades of green and yellow illuminating the foliage in the centre of the painting. In the background, a tall tree stripped bare of foliage catches the fading light coming through the gathering clouds. Rich hues of red and orange further enliven the painting and provide variation amidst the shades of green.
The absence of human presence in the scene makes Jungle particularly distinctive in Covarrubias’ ouevre as a meditation on the majestic and impenetrable beauty of Bali’s natural landscape. The relationship that the Balinese people had with their environment was a point of fascination for Covarrubias, and through his art and writing, sought to understand the deep and inextricable bond between man and nature. In the long history of artists that visited Bali for artistic inspiration, this depiction of man’s place within nature was a common theme, and can be seen in the works of other Indo-European artists such as Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet. Indeed, Covarrubias commented that: “No other race gives the impression of living in such close touch with nature, creates such a complete feeling of harmony between the people and the surroundings.” (Miguel Covarrubias, Island of Bali, Oxford University Press, 1972, p.11).
The vitality of the Balinese people then, Covarrubias argues, can be felt through the pulsing richness of the Balinese environment. We imagine the teeming life of creatures living amidst the thick bushes and tall trees, and the bustling activity of Balinese village life. For now, Covarrubias obscures this behind a curtain of foliage and flora, and in doing so, ensures a perpetuation of the myth and mystery of the tropical island. As we yearn to look between the trees and see past the masses of leaves, Jungle is a visual treat for the senses as Covarrubias encourages us to peer deeper and further through this window of his creation.