Vegetable seller

The curvature of female bodies is always a focal point in the works of Hendra. The elongated arms of women allow Hendra to construct a multitude of compositional possibilities in the work. As demonstrated by the present lot, the stretching arms of the woman in the forefront is luring the gaze of the viewer to the vegetable and at the same time providing a sense of movement and spontaneity. This arm of action is simultaneously balanced with a resting arm, that is rested just above a piece of fabric that is of glorious green, red and yellow, corresponding with the various shades of greens of the vegetable as well as the yellow blouse of the woman on the left.

Such is the ingenuity of Hendra as the master of pictorial composition and colours, that a movement is matched with a resting pose and corresponding colours hint at the correlation of the sitters. Finally a vivid scene from life is orchestrated by the master, as the onlooker watches the vendor picking up the eggplant, moving the body steadily and elegantly as the colours of her fabric shimmer under the sun, one could almost hear the bustling crowd on a typical market day.