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Lot Essay
The graceful, the elegance and the beautiful, these are the prevalent qualities for the works of Bonnet. It is a constant yearning for the artist to portray the people in the noblest form for eternity. Having spent some time in Florence where he is known to have been painting incessantly, the influence of the Italian masters was evident in the works of Bonnet, manifesting in his accentuation of the grandeur and elegance of people.
Apart from its beautiful people and breathtaking scenery, the rich ritualistic and ceremonial setting of Bali gives Bonnet the perfect grand stage as he depicts his 'performers'. For his perfect delineation of the characters and the impeccable arrangement of the people and their settings, always gives the finished work a dramatic and theatrical mood, befitting the lofty aspiration of the artist - to ensure the records of the people is 'preserved in its classical state'.
The profiles of his beautiful sitters be it male or female are amongst the favourite renditions of the artist. This penchant for the delineation of human forms could be dated back to Bonnet's Italian period where certainly the classical Greek sculptures and Renaissance works have made a great impression on the artist.
The beauty of the sitters are certainly the most inspiring elements for the artist who depicts the gentle features of the girls with a emotive hands that alludes the Balinese beauties to classical Greek sculptures. The present work, Balinese beauty holding a rijstbald is arguably amongst Bonnet's most sensitively executed and elegant renditions of feminine beauty that captured the artist's idea of a timeless essence of female elegance.
When Bonnet arrived in Bali in 1929, he was already 35 years old and dated in 1955 the present work was painted when the artist was 61. By then, he had already painted numerous works of Balinese figures and most notably painted the grand oeuvres of Krisdans (circa. 1930-40), Jogeddans, circa. 1930-40, Aankleden voor de voorstelling (1954) and the Rijstoogst (1952) which is noted to be with the collection of President Soekarno. While the present work lacks the backdrop of the majestic landscape of the aforementioned works, it nevertheless exudes supremely the subtle elegance and poetic beauty of the sitter.
In this soft muted painting, Bonnet has positioned his sitter back facing the viewer with her head gently tilted at an angle that reveals her side profile. As with most portraitures, the artist has intended the sitter to be the sole subject of veneration and adoration for the viewers. Peering down with her soft eye lashes, the sitter lures the onlooker to the object held in her hand which is clearly a prepared offering to the gods, and she herself seems as befitting of the worthy mission.
The sitter is seen wearing "SUBANG" (ear plugs) which was the custom of virgins in Bali of yesteryears. Earlobes were pierced with a thorn when the girl was a little child and the opening gradually enlarged to finally take a full sized ear plug which came in different varieties: Gold with rubies for the wealthy princesses. The poor girls of modest means would use rolled leaves of the ental tree or coconut tree, or the dark seed of a Balinese fruit.
The present work was bought in Bali in 1955 by the present owner from the artist directly. Costing what would seem like a meager sum of 4000 rupias, it is already an augmented sum as it was more than the retail price of Bonnet's works then as the collector had also wanted to assist Bonnet in his occasional financial difficulties. Upon purchase, the work was shipped from Bali to Jakarta where the collector was residing and was hang in his living room till 1957. Political situation tensed up in 1957 when many Dutch people were trying to leave the former Dutch East Indies as quickly as they could, the painting was shipped to the Netherlands via diplomatic post and remained in the original owner 's possession till the present day.
Apart from its beautiful people and breathtaking scenery, the rich ritualistic and ceremonial setting of Bali gives Bonnet the perfect grand stage as he depicts his 'performers'. For his perfect delineation of the characters and the impeccable arrangement of the people and their settings, always gives the finished work a dramatic and theatrical mood, befitting the lofty aspiration of the artist - to ensure the records of the people is 'preserved in its classical state'.
The profiles of his beautiful sitters be it male or female are amongst the favourite renditions of the artist. This penchant for the delineation of human forms could be dated back to Bonnet's Italian period where certainly the classical Greek sculptures and Renaissance works have made a great impression on the artist.
The beauty of the sitters are certainly the most inspiring elements for the artist who depicts the gentle features of the girls with a emotive hands that alludes the Balinese beauties to classical Greek sculptures. The present work, Balinese beauty holding a rijstbald is arguably amongst Bonnet's most sensitively executed and elegant renditions of feminine beauty that captured the artist's idea of a timeless essence of female elegance.
When Bonnet arrived in Bali in 1929, he was already 35 years old and dated in 1955 the present work was painted when the artist was 61. By then, he had already painted numerous works of Balinese figures and most notably painted the grand oeuvres of Krisdans (circa. 1930-40), Jogeddans, circa. 1930-40, Aankleden voor de voorstelling (1954) and the Rijstoogst (1952) which is noted to be with the collection of President Soekarno. While the present work lacks the backdrop of the majestic landscape of the aforementioned works, it nevertheless exudes supremely the subtle elegance and poetic beauty of the sitter.
In this soft muted painting, Bonnet has positioned his sitter back facing the viewer with her head gently tilted at an angle that reveals her side profile. As with most portraitures, the artist has intended the sitter to be the sole subject of veneration and adoration for the viewers. Peering down with her soft eye lashes, the sitter lures the onlooker to the object held in her hand which is clearly a prepared offering to the gods, and she herself seems as befitting of the worthy mission.
The sitter is seen wearing "SUBANG" (ear plugs) which was the custom of virgins in Bali of yesteryears. Earlobes were pierced with a thorn when the girl was a little child and the opening gradually enlarged to finally take a full sized ear plug which came in different varieties: Gold with rubies for the wealthy princesses. The poor girls of modest means would use rolled leaves of the ental tree or coconut tree, or the dark seed of a Balinese fruit.
The present work was bought in Bali in 1955 by the present owner from the artist directly. Costing what would seem like a meager sum of 4000 rupias, it is already an augmented sum as it was more than the retail price of Bonnet's works then as the collector had also wanted to assist Bonnet in his occasional financial difficulties. Upon purchase, the work was shipped from Bali to Jakarta where the collector was residing and was hang in his living room till 1957. Political situation tensed up in 1957 when many Dutch people were trying to leave the former Dutch East Indies as quickly as they could, the painting was shipped to the Netherlands via diplomatic post and remained in the original owner 's possession till the present day.