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拍品專文
"Although his style and colours developed, Hendra's choice of themes did not change dramatically in his painting life. From the beginning, it seems, Hendra was painting people in contexts of work and play, in celebration, struggle, and death. Such themes were well established long before he joined LERKA. Seeds of Hendra's mature style were already in place in the 1950s, such as the tendency to depict people in profile or in silhouette, with a certain stylised exaggeration of facial features, expressive body movements, and long thin arms. This vocabulary is related to that of the wayang, which has influenced so much on one of the features that make Hendra's paintings look 'Indonesian'."
Astri Wright, Soul, Spirit, and Mountain: Preoccupations of Contemporary Indonesian Painters, Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 170-171
Wayang refers to the traditional puppetry of Indonesia which is staged with handcrafted characters made out of paper and textiles. Flattened in their presentation, the side profile of the protagonists are heightened, thereby creating a unique aesthetic associated with this art form. Apart from this visual art form, Hendra is also distinctively influenced by the colours of traditional batik, a fabric that uses the wax-resist dyeing technique which is celebrated for its vibrancy of colours and patterning. The present work undoubtedly illustrates the influences of wayang and batik on Hendra and the viewer can observe a bold simplification of forms, contrasting areas of brilliantly lit colours, used for an amazingly decorative effect evocative of batik, and a strong rhythmical surface design that is also a quality of the fabric. In its full demonstration of Hendra's aesthetic lineage, the present work illuminates a consistent theme for the artist which is his unfailing celebration of women that hints of the mysterious poetic meaning in everyday life - with the curvaceous female body splendidly enhanced with vivacious colours, the artist celebrates their roles on the street with a dramatic effect that eroded the mundane nature of an otherwise ordinary scene of daily life.
The importance of women in the works of Hendra was also discussed by Astri Wright, "Hendra's women are types, not clearly distinguishable individuals, and many interpretations of their roles and meanings are possible. At the most basic level, they are nourishing, nursing, mothering beauties, voluptuous and undulating bodies wrapped in brightly coloured cloth. Their forms are echoed by the forms of papayas, eggplants, and cucumbers. They are young and their long graceful arms, exaggerating the elegant hand movements that are so typically Javanese, contrast with their thick feet with widely spread toes - the feet of villagers and farmers. This way of depicting feet, as well as the use of exaggerated profiles, with long necks, protruding noses, and large eyes, echoes the stylization of human form found in wayang." (ibid, p. 176)
Indeed much has been discussed on the artist's socialist tendencies but most have overlooked Hendra's affinity for the Kuntilanak Wangi, a socially organised movement between 1950-1965 which propagates the advance of feminist movement. The impact of the movement is widespread touching on all fronts in Indonesia, from politics to cultural, the women consciously guarded their rights and got involved. One would regard the depiction of women by Hendra quite differently with this piece of information in the background, the seemingly pastoral sentiment of the many compositions he has made throughout his career suddenly assumed a greater socio-political overtone that beguiles the beholder in quite a different manner. Therein lies the brilliance and complexity of the artist who creates works that breeze in and out of different categorisation and genre, the decorative quality of his oeuvres does not undermine the socio-political undertone of his subject and neither does his overtly socialist stance lessen the beauty of his compositions, perhaps the most significant remains at the core of the artist - in his love for his culture and community which infuses his works with an air that are non specific in feeling, not overly sentimental but emanating sympathies with things and people known and cherished.
Astri Wright, Soul, Spirit, and Mountain: Preoccupations of Contemporary Indonesian Painters, Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 170-171
Wayang refers to the traditional puppetry of Indonesia which is staged with handcrafted characters made out of paper and textiles. Flattened in their presentation, the side profile of the protagonists are heightened, thereby creating a unique aesthetic associated with this art form. Apart from this visual art form, Hendra is also distinctively influenced by the colours of traditional batik, a fabric that uses the wax-resist dyeing technique which is celebrated for its vibrancy of colours and patterning. The present work undoubtedly illustrates the influences of wayang and batik on Hendra and the viewer can observe a bold simplification of forms, contrasting areas of brilliantly lit colours, used for an amazingly decorative effect evocative of batik, and a strong rhythmical surface design that is also a quality of the fabric. In its full demonstration of Hendra's aesthetic lineage, the present work illuminates a consistent theme for the artist which is his unfailing celebration of women that hints of the mysterious poetic meaning in everyday life - with the curvaceous female body splendidly enhanced with vivacious colours, the artist celebrates their roles on the street with a dramatic effect that eroded the mundane nature of an otherwise ordinary scene of daily life.
The importance of women in the works of Hendra was also discussed by Astri Wright, "Hendra's women are types, not clearly distinguishable individuals, and many interpretations of their roles and meanings are possible. At the most basic level, they are nourishing, nursing, mothering beauties, voluptuous and undulating bodies wrapped in brightly coloured cloth. Their forms are echoed by the forms of papayas, eggplants, and cucumbers. They are young and their long graceful arms, exaggerating the elegant hand movements that are so typically Javanese, contrast with their thick feet with widely spread toes - the feet of villagers and farmers. This way of depicting feet, as well as the use of exaggerated profiles, with long necks, protruding noses, and large eyes, echoes the stylization of human form found in wayang." (ibid, p. 176)
Indeed much has been discussed on the artist's socialist tendencies but most have overlooked Hendra's affinity for the Kuntilanak Wangi, a socially organised movement between 1950-1965 which propagates the advance of feminist movement. The impact of the movement is widespread touching on all fronts in Indonesia, from politics to cultural, the women consciously guarded their rights and got involved. One would regard the depiction of women by Hendra quite differently with this piece of information in the background, the seemingly pastoral sentiment of the many compositions he has made throughout his career suddenly assumed a greater socio-political overtone that beguiles the beholder in quite a different manner. Therein lies the brilliance and complexity of the artist who creates works that breeze in and out of different categorisation and genre, the decorative quality of his oeuvres does not undermine the socio-political undertone of his subject and neither does his overtly socialist stance lessen the beauty of his compositions, perhaps the most significant remains at the core of the artist - in his love for his culture and community which infuses his works with an air that are non specific in feeling, not overly sentimental but emanating sympathies with things and people known and cherished.