阿凡迪

直接購自藝術家
亞洲私人收藏

This work is in good overall condition as viewed. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no sign of restoration as viewed. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

To declare that Affandi was one of the greatest Indonesian artists of the twentieth century is no exaggeration. An artist whose very life and philosophy was based on his belief in ‘humanism’, Affandi possessed an incredible sensitivity and compassion for the world around him which is manifested in his highly expressive oeuvre. The British fine art critic Eric Newton describes Affandi fittingly thus, ‘Self-taught, wilder even than Kokoschka when excited, as human and as passionate as Van Gogh, painting recklessly from the heart and ready to paint whatever moves him…’ ^[1]

In 1949, Affandi was granted a scholarship from the Indian government to travel through the country to paint and exhibit his artworks. This was the beginning of a pivotal five year journey that continued on to Europe, granting Affandi an opportunity to advance his painting technique and establish himself as an artist of growing international renown. Affandi’s travels were greatly beneficial to his imagination and creative maturation which reached their culmination in him being the first Indonesian artist to exhibit at the Venice Biennale in 1954.

This present lot depicts a mountain landscape. Affandi’s highly charged and lively impasto recalls the paintings of the great post-impressionist painter Van Gogh. However, as Newton affirms, the act of ‘reminding’ itself should not be viewed as problematic as it does not necessarily mean that Affandi was influenced by Van Gogh or was trying to emulate him. Rather, it suggests that both artists embarked from the same point of humanity and vitality^[2].

Affandi and Van Gogh both seem to be enraptured by and share a sensibility towards the inherent spirituality that dwells in nature. In this painting, Affandi employs thick, visceral paint to depict the swirling contours of the landscape. The lines appear to possess their own dilating rhythm, causing the entire painting to visibly pulse with energy in a choreography of writhing forms and bold flourishes of colour. There is a great expressiveness and intensity communicated through the artist’s painting achieved by his highly distinctive technique of squeezing oil paint directly from the tubes onto raw canvas and proceeding to disperse the pigments with his bare hands. Such a technique eradicated the need for a paintbrush, hence opening the floodgates to the entranced artist’s emotions and giving them the most direct and immediate visual expression on the canvas as they surface. Furthermore, Affandi’s squeezing technique allowed his work to be conceived primarily of line, rendering his subject matter with a vigour and dynamism that was to become one of his greatest hallmarks. The coinage of the term ‘new expressionism’ that was applied exclusively to Affandi attests to his status as an extraordinary artistic genius.

^[1] Sardjana Sumichan, Affandi Volume III, Bina Lestari Budaya Foundation Jakarta and Singapore Art Museum, 2007, p 139

^[2] Ibid p 10