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拍品专文
“Indonesian art draws its strength from its rich cultural past and from its preserved customs and sacred rituals. The best painters are not slaves of their old cultures, but use ancient representation and techniques, old myths and epics and recreate them.”
– Esmeralda and Marc Bollansee
This season, Christie’s is proud to present three hallmark works from Hendra Gunawan’s oeuvre, tracing his artistic progression across key periods in his artistic career. As one of the pivotal figures of the Indonesian modern art era alongside Affandi and Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan has been dubbed as the most versatile artist amongst his contemporaries. His works can be seen as a pictorial homage to his homeland and its people. Through his art, Gunawan captures his love for his archipelagic home with articulate expression manifested in the painterly choice of brilliant colours and lively figures.
Gunawan’s later works are evidence of his tendency towards romanticizing scenes from his homeland. After his imprisonment in Kebon Waru as a result of the 1965 anti-communist purge, Gunawan decided to move to Bali with his second wife, living there until his final days. Bali had become a paradise for many, including Europeans artists such as Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur, Walter Spies, and Rudolf Bonnet. Artists were inspired to capture the liveliness of the island and its people through their art. Similarly, Hendra’s love for the Balinese people and their traditions soon found their way onto his canvases. Depicting the people of the island and their leisurely approach to life, Fish Vendor, Bali is an exquisite example of the focus of his later works.
Gunawan placed great importance on the communal spirit of the island in his depiction, for he believed that life only existed for the sake of the community. While his style evolved and palette developed, Gunawan’s remained deeply inspired by his surroundings and their lives that would pass through. Work and play, in celebration and conflict, and even in life and death, Gunawan aimed to depict all phases of life. This choice of subject also mirror his socialist stance and his involvement with politically-oriented cultural organizations before his imprisonment. Unlike Affandi, Gunawan’s art often also sought to examine in detail the life of the women of the nation and their roles within the community. In contrast to the nature of these subjects, he chose vibrant colours to restore the spirit and elevate the importance of the ordinary, offering his art as a celebration of the people who build the nation.
Gunawan’s prowess in creating interactions between his subjects is one of his greatest traits. A strong sense of community is a predominant characteristic of his works depicting life in Bali, as expressed through the interactions and exchanges between the figures in his paintings. Through his meticulous arrangement of the figures in his painting composition, the artist creates an interlinking chain of interactions. Fish Vendor, Bali depicts a group of women conversing with a fish vendor by the beach. With a simple touch, a passing glance, or a gentle gesture, the people in the scene are subtly connected to one another.
Differing from his Mountain Landscape painting (Lot 51), where the landscape fills the scene with its imposing presence, the landscape in Fish Vendor, Bali recedes into the canvas to become a natural background to his subject. Gunawan highlights his subject with the use of rather striking colours, with the semi-translucent batik cloth and kebaya sensuously wrapping the curvaceous figure of his female subjects. Batik has always been symbolic of artist’s love for the Javanese culture and tradition, and serve as the essential fabric of the society that binds the community. The painting showcases Gunawan’s ability to imbue his people with raw emotion through their iconic stylized figures.
In reference to his lively figures, Astri Wright states that “Hendra’s style could also be said to drawn on the genre of cartoons and caricatures, a newly developed art in Indonesia during the nationalist period”. Anatomically, they bear features akin to traditional Indonesian shadow puppetry, Wayang Kulit, with their elongated limbs, thick feet, widely spaced toes, long necks, protruding noses and large eyes. With his play of colours, use of traditional patterns and reference to shapes attributed to the Javanese culture, Gunawan harmonizes the contrasting elements of the East and West through his canvases.
Painted in his studio in Bali between 1982- 1983, just a short period of time before his passing, Fish Vendor, Bali is a testament towards Gunawan’s remarkable long-life dedication and passion for his nation and its people through his art. Fish Vendor, Bali was a gift from the artist to Dr. R.M. Moerdowo, a doctor and art enthusiast who was treating Hendra Gunawan for his illness. This additional provenance not only gives us an insight to the history of this exceptional work, but also allows the viewer to enjoy the work from a very personal and intimate perspective.
– Esmeralda and Marc Bollansee
This season, Christie’s is proud to present three hallmark works from Hendra Gunawan’s oeuvre, tracing his artistic progression across key periods in his artistic career. As one of the pivotal figures of the Indonesian modern art era alongside Affandi and Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan has been dubbed as the most versatile artist amongst his contemporaries. His works can be seen as a pictorial homage to his homeland and its people. Through his art, Gunawan captures his love for his archipelagic home with articulate expression manifested in the painterly choice of brilliant colours and lively figures.
Gunawan’s later works are evidence of his tendency towards romanticizing scenes from his homeland. After his imprisonment in Kebon Waru as a result of the 1965 anti-communist purge, Gunawan decided to move to Bali with his second wife, living there until his final days. Bali had become a paradise for many, including Europeans artists such as Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur, Walter Spies, and Rudolf Bonnet. Artists were inspired to capture the liveliness of the island and its people through their art. Similarly, Hendra’s love for the Balinese people and their traditions soon found their way onto his canvases. Depicting the people of the island and their leisurely approach to life, Fish Vendor, Bali is an exquisite example of the focus of his later works.
Gunawan placed great importance on the communal spirit of the island in his depiction, for he believed that life only existed for the sake of the community. While his style evolved and palette developed, Gunawan’s remained deeply inspired by his surroundings and their lives that would pass through. Work and play, in celebration and conflict, and even in life and death, Gunawan aimed to depict all phases of life. This choice of subject also mirror his socialist stance and his involvement with politically-oriented cultural organizations before his imprisonment. Unlike Affandi, Gunawan’s art often also sought to examine in detail the life of the women of the nation and their roles within the community. In contrast to the nature of these subjects, he chose vibrant colours to restore the spirit and elevate the importance of the ordinary, offering his art as a celebration of the people who build the nation.
Gunawan’s prowess in creating interactions between his subjects is one of his greatest traits. A strong sense of community is a predominant characteristic of his works depicting life in Bali, as expressed through the interactions and exchanges between the figures in his paintings. Through his meticulous arrangement of the figures in his painting composition, the artist creates an interlinking chain of interactions. Fish Vendor, Bali depicts a group of women conversing with a fish vendor by the beach. With a simple touch, a passing glance, or a gentle gesture, the people in the scene are subtly connected to one another.
Differing from his Mountain Landscape painting (Lot 51), where the landscape fills the scene with its imposing presence, the landscape in Fish Vendor, Bali recedes into the canvas to become a natural background to his subject. Gunawan highlights his subject with the use of rather striking colours, with the semi-translucent batik cloth and kebaya sensuously wrapping the curvaceous figure of his female subjects. Batik has always been symbolic of artist’s love for the Javanese culture and tradition, and serve as the essential fabric of the society that binds the community. The painting showcases Gunawan’s ability to imbue his people with raw emotion through their iconic stylized figures.
In reference to his lively figures, Astri Wright states that “Hendra’s style could also be said to drawn on the genre of cartoons and caricatures, a newly developed art in Indonesia during the nationalist period”. Anatomically, they bear features akin to traditional Indonesian shadow puppetry, Wayang Kulit, with their elongated limbs, thick feet, widely spaced toes, long necks, protruding noses and large eyes. With his play of colours, use of traditional patterns and reference to shapes attributed to the Javanese culture, Gunawan harmonizes the contrasting elements of the East and West through his canvases.
Painted in his studio in Bali between 1982- 1983, just a short period of time before his passing, Fish Vendor, Bali is a testament towards Gunawan’s remarkable long-life dedication and passion for his nation and its people through his art. Fish Vendor, Bali was a gift from the artist to Dr. R.M. Moerdowo, a doctor and art enthusiast who was treating Hendra Gunawan for his illness. This additional provenance not only gives us an insight to the history of this exceptional work, but also allows the viewer to enjoy the work from a very personal and intimate perspective.