Affandi

Sotheby's Singapore,October 1 2000, Lot 63
Private Collection, Scotland

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 the impastos are healthy and stable. Upon close observation, there is evidence of pin-sized media accretion sprinkled predominantly on the top right corner and bottom left and right quadrants. Faint networks of craquelures are visible on the horse's tail (black paints). Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no sign of restoration. Framed.
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“People often ask Affandi when did he actually shift to expressionism, and when did he become captivated by themes of the everyday life and people. As might be expected of his character, Affandi cannot recall himself when he made the changes…Styles change through a gradual process. The change takes place almost imperceptibly so that we cannot see clear the stylistic demarcations. Shifts in style are usually the result of a reflective selection of a number of stimuli and inputs. Only after some period of time. When the artist has thought about and experimented sufficiently, can we say that there has been an actual shift in the artist’s style. For Affandi, themes of everyday life seem to have always been a source of inspiration.”¹

Affandi, regarded as one of Indonesia’s foremost modern painters, is widely known for his vibrant, energetic strokes that leap off the canvas. These curves were often produced by directly applying paint on canvas from the tube, flattening lines out with the tube’s nozzle. This piece is a fine example of Affandi’s ability to use these strokes to dramatic effect, depicting a horse and his rider against a stretch of wispy cloud-like formations in the background.

The dominant colour in this work is a dark blue-green: it seems like all other colours present are derived from this shade, with yellows and blues emerging out of these dark voids. Affandi also uses this colour to contrast his two subjects: we see a man painted a dark green-black outlined in browns and yellows, atop a white horse outlined in shades of green and yellow, accented with white.

The use of a single focal colour helps create a strong sense of atmosphere in this work: in the absence of multitudinous colour, we are permitted to fully concentrate on the relentless forward motion of the horse. It is as if the very ground on which the horse is galloping is rising to match the intensity of his movement, with the sky warping behind the subject in obedience to the horse’s gallop.

Most scholars have categorized Affandi’s work under the term “expressionism,” denoting a form of art that is a visual and aesthetic manifestation of a psychological state. We could certainly read this work in the light of expressionism: the scenes Affandi creates is intensely filtered through the lens of the subject, and we are but guests into his internal world.

¹ Umar Kayam Cited in Raka Sumichan and Umar Kayam, Affandi, Yayasan Bina Lestari Budaya, Jakarta, 1987, p.219