Srihadi Sudarsono

Excellent overall condition as viewed. There is evidence of light wear and handling along the edges of the canvas. Framed.
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Bedoyo Ketawang - The Energy of Beauty is a perfect example of Srihadi Sudarsono’s ability to represent both reality and abstraction in painting. As child, Srihadi was exposed to the methods and techniques of batik production, through his parents who were producers of Laar batik. Later in life, Shrihadi was introduced to PERSAGI-founder Sudjojono, who set up the Young Indonesian Artists’ Association in Madiun, which Srihadi eventually joined. Through this artist commune, Srihadi was able to grow and develop artistically.  However, his artistic studies were cut short due to the Second Dutch Military Action in 1984, and he was taken as a prisoner for transporting weapons. Even then, he was able to charm his captors with his drawings, and he was eventually released.

Continuing his artistic studies, Srihadi was offered a scholarship to study at the Ohio State University in Columbus at the height of the periods of abstract expressionism and minimalism, which influenced his later works both in style and artistic process. He returned to a politically unstable Indonesia, and began to produce works which subtly critiqued and commented on the state of the nation. However, with the rise of a new age of politically-aware young artists known as the New Art Movement, Srihadi was able to shift his focus to less political subject-matter, which were “more manifestations of the spiritual essence”, such as his archetypal dancers and landscapes.

The composition of Bedoyo Ketawang - The Energy of Beauty is simple, with a repetitive quality to the three female figures. However, its multiplicitous nature is conscious and deliberately orchestrated in order to highlight the subtle variations in each dancer. The minimal colour palette draws our attention to each woman’s body language which has been deliberately varied, in order to express the inner psyche of the dancers. Although Srihadi’s systematic application of the rule of thirds creates a harmoniously balanced composition, certain elements create an imbalance and bring life to the painting. Hence, the ethereal dancers, who appear to be floating in mid-air, are able to capture the elegant moves of Indonesian dance despite its two-dimensional representation. There exists a sense of mediation and transcendence to all his works, which imbues them with a powerful constitution. The theme of Indonesian dance is one that Shrihadi has continually pursued during his career; only with his continued observation and experimentation could Shrihadi achieve such perfection in his depiction of the vibrant Indonesian life and culture.