Zaini

Gifted from the artist to the late Mr. Ali Sadikin
Private Collection, Indonesia

There is evidence of wear and losses along the edges of the work. There is some paint shrinkage visible at the surface of the pigment. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no sign of restoration as viewed. Framed.
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Together with the artists who found inspiration in the physical landscape of their country, there were others who looked inwards for their own inspiration, divine spirituality and mysticism the hallmarks of their paintings. Zaini was an individual who stayed slightly apart from his peers, the artist’s collection of works more of a personal diary of his own soul, than true depictions of the Indonesian topography or people. Throughout his oeuvre there is a gentle quietude that exists in the narratives, the colors subdued and blurred around the edges, while the brushstrokes only enhance the dreamlike ambience of the paintings.

Boats is a classic piece from the artist, for it contains the elements that defined his oeuvre, such as the haunting use of light and shadows that casts a certain mood upon the maritime scene. Zaini’s paintings all reference solitude and the poetical nature that it inspires within people. The present painting follows in this vein, for only the silhouettes of the boats are visible in the landscape, their presence like an afterthought from the artist’s personal history. Or as if the artist has crossed over into another world, the golden light and solitary boats manifestations of the spiritual realm.

The artist began his art education with S. Sudjojono, an artist who was respected as being one of the key leaders in the country’s development of modernist art. However his mentor’s nationalistic ideologies did not influence his own artistic outlook. Zaini was a supporter of the Manifes Kebudajaan (Cultural Manifesto) in 1963 that found fault in propagandist artworks. Therefore he deliberately looked towards his own memories and dreams to find subject matters for the paintings. Boats may be from a memory or from a dream that he created. Zaini initially painted what he remembered, and within the present piece the audience is gifted to share in the same vision.