Hendra Gunawan

Acquired directly from the Family of the Artist
Christie's Hong Kong, May 28 2006, Lot 36
Private European Collection

The work is in good condition overall, as is the canvas, which is clear and sound. There is evidence of light wear along the edges of the work due to abrasions with the frame, but this does not affect the overall image. Upon close observation, there are faint networks of craquelures, along with pin-sized areas of paint losses. There is also evidence of a minute area of paint loss located on the upper left corner, and an abrasion located on the bottom left corner and around the sole of the foot. There are visible signs of media accretion on the light blue pigment (above the woman's stomach.) Examination under ultraviolet light reveals sporadic and scattered areas of restoration. Framed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Renaissance artists marked a revolution in art history when they first depicted reclining nudes in the guise of the venerated Sleeping Venus, inspiring legions of painters to portray uncovered women as sanctified goddesses for centuries. Once the Odalisque canon was considered acceptable in the 19^th century, artists took the liberty to illustrate overtly eroticized concubines lounging undressed. However, it was only after the turn of the 20^th century when nude women were represented sans mythological or allegorical attributions, despite inevitable controversy. In concordance with his Western contemporaries, Hendra Gunawan frankly denotes an unclothed woman in the present lot, assumedly from a live subject, to simply study the bare, female form and to use it as a conduit to conjure sensuality. Drawing on the established exemplars from the Renaissance, Hendra endows the figure with compositional significance. In her recumbent posture she assumes a somnolent countenance, her heavy-lidded eyes evasively gazing downward and away from the viewer. She is conscious of the intimacy of her demeanor, shyly arching her back, and resting one leg on a bolster whilst concealing the other under a blanket in a bid to shield her vulnerability, at once inadvertently augmenting her physicality.

Hendra painted with increased spontaneity and expression when he was imprisoned for 13 protracted and suffocating years, due to his involvement with the Institute of People’s Culture (a movement connected with the Indonesian Communist Party) after the 1965 anti-Communist purge. In an effort to alleviate the profound solitude he faced during this tormenting incarceration, Hendra wholeheartedly dedicated his time to artistic experimentation. It is evident in this work that brilliant colors became Hendra’s prime source of vitality, an affinity that would persist long after his sentence. The saturated palette, lush with violet and indigo hues, imbues a majestic luminance to the otherwise wistful subject. The woman’s flushed skin mirrors the striking red tone on her blanket, a color suggestive of amorous passion. The pink roses skirting the bed symbolize her blossoming and natural beauty.

Though Hendra incorporates European formalist elements into this work, he is primarily a patriotic artist, searching for his female muses from varying social classes within his own community. The fine batik cloth, painted with varying gradations of purple on which the nude reposes, is evocative of Indonesian custom. Hendra often garbs his female figures with traditional, batik sarongs to associate them with the glorious Javanese culture that was so dear to his very being. The woman is not merely a passive embodiment of physical desire, but also an anthropomorphic manifestation of his glorious motherland. Considered one of the paramount pioneers of Indonesian modernism, Hendra Gunawan founded and shaped numerous artist organizations through the course of his life. Though his political convictions were inviolable to him, it was the people and the land that he revered as an artist.