Arifien Neif

Amir Sidharta, Dipika Rai, Arifien: The Life and Fantasy of an Emerging Indonesian Painting, Museum Universitas Pelita Harapan Press in cooperation with Galeri Santi, Indonesia, 1997, p.39

The work is in good condition overall, as is the canvas, which is clear and sound. There is evidence of light wear and handling around the edges of the painting, but the paint layers are healthy and well-preserved. Examination under ultraviolet light shows no sign of restoration. Framed.
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The largest painting by Arifien ever to be offered at auction, Procession is a rare work by the artist with note-worthy provenance. The work is painted in 1991 during The New Order when Indonesia enjoyed a short period of stability.  “I do not paint beauty, I add to reality”¹  is a motto that Arifien embraced; and it is this very approach that allowed him to capture beyond what is immediately pleasing to the eyes. The subtle exaggerations in his figures and the non-realistic employment of colors communicate the emotive qualities within his pictorial space. In the present painting, the figures unravel rhythmically across the canvas. The deliberately caricatured bodies with thick, heavy bodies and elongated arms are typical of Arifien’s unique aesthetic vocabulary. Playing with the proportions, the artist narrates the scene through hyperbolic gestures. The interlocking figures metaphorically represent the strong sense of unity as they participate in the ceremony. Rendering the composition in a highly stylized fashion, Arifien reveals influences from the post-impressionists French master, most notably Matisse and Gauguin. “Like a story half-told, the finale is clouded and sometimes unexpressed, leaving the observer hungering for more… His subjects hold secrets beg to be explored by those who are attached to his work.”²

              

¹Amir Sidharta, Dipika Rai, Arifien: The Life and Fantasy of an Emerging Indonesian Painting, Museum Universitas Pelita Harapan Press in cooperation with Galeri Santi, Indonesia, 1997, p. 51

²Refer to 1