Auke Cornelis Sonnega

The work is in good condition overall, as is the canvas, which is clear and sound. There is light wear and handling around the edges of the painting, but only visible upon close observation. Examination under ultraviolet light shows no sign of restoration. Framed.
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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."

Auke Sonnega first set foot on Indonesian soil when he arrived in Java in 1935. Two years later, he moved to Bali, which became a great source of inspiration for his painting. The artist’s deep affection for the land and people of Bali is reflected in the following personal anecdote: “…Bali is not like the other islands…for the landscape is of almost exaggerated freshness and greenery, while the rice fields show striking contrasts of yellow and green…; the combined effect of the fantastic shapes of these fields, and the irregular surfaces of the soil, is a most attractive baroque pattern, frequently of exuberant aspect. Thanks to the richness of the soil and its good irrigation, the luxuriance of the palm tops is notably in evidence, even exaggerated; it overshadows the villages and the lanes, giving to the island a peculiar charm of its own. The picture is completed by the well-proportioned shapes of the Balinese: the muscular figure of the male, who, clad only in a loin-cloth works in the field, striking classical attitudes under the scorching rays of the tropical sun; or the Balinese woman, often so graceful, waling with typical balanced movements.”

Auke Corenelis Sonnega cited in A Facet of the Cosmic Pattern, Zeist, Holland, December 1959, P. 10