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Lot Essay
By the time Affandi painted the present lot, he has developed his signature expressionistic style of deftly applied successive paints directly onto the canvas for more than 2 decades. The apparent ease he has with the technique is also evident with his manipulation of the subject.
The present lot depicts a familiar scene to many Indonesians who are very fond of the cock-fighting game commonly played by many for its intense competitive nature and heightened excitement as the game easily gathers crowds who cheer and clamor throughout.
The artist has cropped the body of the man on the right and with the other people in the scene, he only shows their legs and hands so that they are barely recognizable at first glance. By playing whimsically with form and painterly textures, Affandi has imparted a gently humorous tone to his subjects which are more generalized caricatures of common man than a specifically characterised portrait of an individual. Hence, in this manner, the caricatures are specifics of none but representational of all.
Another effect achieved by this 'cropping' technique is the subtle display of a sense of time and motion. The unpretentious composition is reminiscent of a quick glance at a fleeting moment of time, or at a continuous motion that is in passing and would be gone at the next instance.
The present lot depicts a familiar scene to many Indonesians who are very fond of the cock-fighting game commonly played by many for its intense competitive nature and heightened excitement as the game easily gathers crowds who cheer and clamor throughout.
The artist has cropped the body of the man on the right and with the other people in the scene, he only shows their legs and hands so that they are barely recognizable at first glance. By playing whimsically with form and painterly textures, Affandi has imparted a gently humorous tone to his subjects which are more generalized caricatures of common man than a specifically characterised portrait of an individual. Hence, in this manner, the caricatures are specifics of none but representational of all.
Another effect achieved by this 'cropping' technique is the subtle display of a sense of time and motion. The unpretentious composition is reminiscent of a quick glance at a fleeting moment of time, or at a continuous motion that is in passing and would be gone at the next instance.