Lot Essay
Originally from Java, Affandi is one of the most renowned Indonesian artists. His pictures, of mainly Indonesian subjects, are executed in vividly coloured Expressionist impasto, using his hands as well as applying oil paint directly from the tube onto the canvas. He supposedly came across this technique accidentally when his brush broke while painting ferociously. Not wanting to interrupt the momentum of his work, he grasped his paint tubes and began to squeeze their contents straight onto the canvas. This distinctive method allowed him freedom of artistic expression, the bold strokes evolving into a wild and chaotic style, bordering on the abstract.
The Knight of Glin was introduced to Affandi while studying in the Far East, after winning a scholarship to the University of Malaya in 1959. He was studying Hindu and Javanese architecture under the distinguished orientalist Michael Sullivan, he met Affandi, while staying in Jogjakarta, through the artist's son-in-law Sapto Hudoyo.
The Knight of Glin was introduced to Affandi while studying in the Far East, after winning a scholarship to the University of Malaya in 1959. He was studying Hindu and Javanese architecture under the distinguished orientalist Michael Sullivan, he met Affandi, while staying in Jogjakarta, through the artist's son-in-law Sapto Hudoyo.