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拍品专文
Widely recognized as “The Father of Indonesian Painting”, Affandi’s style of painting stands out against those of his contemporaries for its raw energy and unique execution. Affandi’s works were highly regarded by art enthusiasts, critics, and academics, within Indonesia and beyond. His inventive painting technique was well received all over the world and saw him travelling to the west to introduce the art world to the vision of the east portrayed in his works.
Born in Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia, Affandi’s interest in painting began at an early age. In his early twenties, a stint as a live model for an Italian artist working in Bandung exposed him to the Western art historical canon, allowing him to deepen his knowledge and hone his own artistic technique, called the plototan technique. Squeezing paint directly onto the canvas, Affandi’s is able to apply his characteristically bold strokes to create a three-dimensional surface of striking impasto. Not only did he depart from the use of paintbrushes, he removed the intermediary painting tool by using his palms and fingers to manipulate the paint directly only the canvas, affording him a freedom of expression directed by his own limbs.
AFFANDI AND THE SELF-PORTRAIT: LOOKING THROUGH THE SELF
The present Self-Portrait (Lot 33) comes from the collection of Ambassador Helder Martins de Moraes, a Brazilian journalist, filmmaker and former diplomat of Brazil to Indonesia from 1969-1971. Ambassador de Moraes was a friend of one of Indonesia’s most prominent and renowned art collectors, Mr. Alex Papadimitriou, and a former colleague of Josias Carneiro Leao.
The subject of self-portrait features significantly in Affandi’s body of work. The artist used it as a visual biography, a means for him to understand himself better. Despite being interested in a breadth of subjects in his paintings, Affandi would return to the self-portrait in times where he needed to turn his gaze inwards to refocus his intentions. Aside from being a tool of self-reflection, Affandi’s self-portraits clearly delineate his artistic trajectory, tracing the development of his style and practice from his formative years throughout his artistic journey. As Umar Kayam mentioned on Affandi and his commitment to the self-portrait as a subject:
“It is quite amazing to see a painter so tirelessly paint himself again and again. In every portrait there is a feeling that the painter is searching for something, some meaning, as if he was unfamiliar with the person he was painting.”
Painted at the pinnacle of his artistic career in the 1960s, the present Self-Portrait showcases the genuine expression of the artist’s self. Through his expressive strokes and generous impastos, Affandi vividly captures the physical likeness of himself as a middle-aged man with a head of lush, white hair. Turning sideways, Affandi locks eyes with the viewer in an intense stare down. A mass of swirls dominated in red form his forehead resembling Affandi’s favoured motif of the sun. The sun appears frequently in the artist’s works, as he regards it as a vital ‘Life Force’. Wild lines of blue and green form his unruly hair, while layers of fine white impasto lend a tactile quality to his painting, ageing his physical existence with unusual specks around his nose and cheeks. Smearing red and yellow throughout the picture plane, Affandi adds depth to his facial features and defines them with dramatic, curvaceous lines that are highly inspired by the Cirebonese Wayang Kulit, Affandi’s main inspiration for his self-taught painting technique. In making his self-portraits, Affandi always physically aligned his with one of the Wayang Kulit character, Sukrasana who is unattractive but kind-hearted and at the same time he is able to bring the heavenly garden into the earth, which the later part is reflected in what Affandi did with his paintings. Affandi’s earliest self-portraits are dated back to 1940s with a style that is of realist and later would evolve the emotive portrait such as the work presented today. The present lot showcases Affandi’s maturity in his painting skill which emulated in his dynamic and vivid lines, revealing Affandi’s most honest expression of self and his passion towards his art.
The iconic artist’s pictogram above his signature elevates the significance of the present lot. Quintessential to his most special works, the pictogram of a sun with hands and feet were granted only to the paintings that Affandi felt empowered by. It symbolizes all that Affandi believed in as an artist and as a human being – it represents the elements that kept him spiritually fulfilled in life. With the sun as an essential source of energy, the hands representing hard work and determination, and the feet as a reminder to stay grounded in one’s actions while moving forward in life. With the pictogram emblem to the painting, the present lot become the artist’s contentment of his artistic achievement. Additionally, the unique history and exceptional provenance established the importance of this painting and its place in Indonesian art history.
Born in Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia, Affandi’s interest in painting began at an early age. In his early twenties, a stint as a live model for an Italian artist working in Bandung exposed him to the Western art historical canon, allowing him to deepen his knowledge and hone his own artistic technique, called the plototan technique. Squeezing paint directly onto the canvas, Affandi’s is able to apply his characteristically bold strokes to create a three-dimensional surface of striking impasto. Not only did he depart from the use of paintbrushes, he removed the intermediary painting tool by using his palms and fingers to manipulate the paint directly only the canvas, affording him a freedom of expression directed by his own limbs.
AFFANDI AND THE SELF-PORTRAIT: LOOKING THROUGH THE SELF
The present Self-Portrait (Lot 33) comes from the collection of Ambassador Helder Martins de Moraes, a Brazilian journalist, filmmaker and former diplomat of Brazil to Indonesia from 1969-1971. Ambassador de Moraes was a friend of one of Indonesia’s most prominent and renowned art collectors, Mr. Alex Papadimitriou, and a former colleague of Josias Carneiro Leao.
The subject of self-portrait features significantly in Affandi’s body of work. The artist used it as a visual biography, a means for him to understand himself better. Despite being interested in a breadth of subjects in his paintings, Affandi would return to the self-portrait in times where he needed to turn his gaze inwards to refocus his intentions. Aside from being a tool of self-reflection, Affandi’s self-portraits clearly delineate his artistic trajectory, tracing the development of his style and practice from his formative years throughout his artistic journey. As Umar Kayam mentioned on Affandi and his commitment to the self-portrait as a subject:
“It is quite amazing to see a painter so tirelessly paint himself again and again. In every portrait there is a feeling that the painter is searching for something, some meaning, as if he was unfamiliar with the person he was painting.”
Painted at the pinnacle of his artistic career in the 1960s, the present Self-Portrait showcases the genuine expression of the artist’s self. Through his expressive strokes and generous impastos, Affandi vividly captures the physical likeness of himself as a middle-aged man with a head of lush, white hair. Turning sideways, Affandi locks eyes with the viewer in an intense stare down. A mass of swirls dominated in red form his forehead resembling Affandi’s favoured motif of the sun. The sun appears frequently in the artist’s works, as he regards it as a vital ‘Life Force’. Wild lines of blue and green form his unruly hair, while layers of fine white impasto lend a tactile quality to his painting, ageing his physical existence with unusual specks around his nose and cheeks. Smearing red and yellow throughout the picture plane, Affandi adds depth to his facial features and defines them with dramatic, curvaceous lines that are highly inspired by the Cirebonese Wayang Kulit, Affandi’s main inspiration for his self-taught painting technique. In making his self-portraits, Affandi always physically aligned his with one of the Wayang Kulit character, Sukrasana who is unattractive but kind-hearted and at the same time he is able to bring the heavenly garden into the earth, which the later part is reflected in what Affandi did with his paintings. Affandi’s earliest self-portraits are dated back to 1940s with a style that is of realist and later would evolve the emotive portrait such as the work presented today. The present lot showcases Affandi’s maturity in his painting skill which emulated in his dynamic and vivid lines, revealing Affandi’s most honest expression of self and his passion towards his art.
The iconic artist’s pictogram above his signature elevates the significance of the present lot. Quintessential to his most special works, the pictogram of a sun with hands and feet were granted only to the paintings that Affandi felt empowered by. It symbolizes all that Affandi believed in as an artist and as a human being – it represents the elements that kept him spiritually fulfilled in life. With the sun as an essential source of energy, the hands representing hard work and determination, and the feet as a reminder to stay grounded in one’s actions while moving forward in life. With the pictogram emblem to the painting, the present lot become the artist’s contentment of his artistic achievement. Additionally, the unique history and exceptional provenance established the importance of this painting and its place in Indonesian art history.