Willem Dooijewaard

Private Collection, Switzerland
Private Collection, The Netherlands

Utrecht, Centraal Museum Utrecht, Beyond the Dutch, 2009-2010, p.80
Helmond, Gemeentemuseum Helmond, Indonesische Impressies, 1992
Hoorn, West Fries Museum,  Indonesische Impressies, 1992
Amsterdam, Nienhuis Gallery,  Indonesische Impressies, 1992
Jakarta, Erasmushuis Jakarta,  Indonesische Impressies, 1993
Surabaya, Altea Mirama,  Indonesische Impressies, 1993

Knol et al, Beyond the Dutch, KIT Publishers, 2009, p. 80.
Ruud Spruit, Indonesian Impresions, Oriental themes in Western Painting, Hoorn, 1992, p.67.

The work is in good condition overall, as is the canvas, clear and taut. There is light wear and handling, but the paint layers are well-preserved and stable. Under ultraviolet light, there are a few networks of gentle craquelures mainly located on the upper register (black paint) and light scattered restoration around the lower left corner and upper right register. Framed.
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Willem Dooijewaard is widely regarded for his pictorial documentations from his travels abroad. Growing up during the two world wars, where he witnessed a period of global expansion, had gifted the artist with a desire for the exotic. Unlike his contemporaries, the Dutch artist travelled to locations where only a few had visited. Notable destinations included Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Tunisia and Indonesia. The artist’s oeuvre is a testimony to the people whom he met, their lives and expressions reflected forever in his paintings.

Though he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of Amsterdam, where he learned the fundamentals of the craft, Dooijewaard was not satisfied to simply paint his own environment. Therefore in 1913 he joined a tobacco and rubber company, and set sail for Sumatra to work on the company’s plantation. His artwork during this period was a series of experimentation with subject matter and materials. Predominantly drawings and sketches, they reveal the artist’s visits to Java and Bali where he captured the local culture and rituals in his works. They also provide valuable insight into his growing confidence as an artist, and burgeoning interest in the Indonesian culture. 

Dooijewaard returned to Bali in 1919, a result of selling old drawings from his time in Sumatra, and using the means to finance his trip back to Asia. This time the artist chose the island to become his permanent home, living and working there for the next few years. The present painting, Woman Selling Fruits, was created during this period of the artist’s career. Women were a desired motif, and frequented his sketches and paintings. Dooijewaard was especially interested in the island’s arts and crafts, specifically the performance arts such as dance and theatre. Many of his recognizable works featured Legong dancers, either in detailed profile or in motion.

The painting Woman Selling Fruits is a unique piece from the artist, due to the subject matter, size of the painting, the choice of medium, well as the colour scheme used. The latter is especially important, for the artist favoured lighter colours in his works, reference to the Balinese sunlight that inspired the atmospheric moods Dooijewaard wished to capture in his paintings.

A portrait of rural life, the woman is seated next to her fruit, her expression weary, as her mind is focused on brighter things. Unlike his other works, it is a stark portrayal of a single life, as witnessed through the eyes of a foreigner.