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Lot Essay
A synthesis of the attitudes of European art, with the style and composition of traditional Chinese ink paintings, Lee Man Fong manages to capture his world in a manner that is harmonious and halcyon, but simultaneously dynamic and full of depth.
In his work, Lee Man Fong celebrates and recognizes the importance of cultural heritage, often painting his human subjects engaging in activities which are traditional in nature. To him, 'art is an essence of culture without the form of written words but only strokes that tell directly anyone regardless of time, race and language'. In Weaver (Lot 118) and Satay Seller (Lot 117), he frames each individual in a realm of his or her own, focused on their task at hand oblivious to the eye of the viewer. Painting from life, these characters are not figments of lee Man Fong's imagination; rather, they are permanent fixtures of the Indonesian village-scape.
Weaver depicts a woman totally absorbed in her work. Her pride in her work is clearly highlighted in her erect, alert pose and her tender attentiveness to the task at hand. Meanwhile, Satay Seller, a rare 1958 composition, is one of the first documented instances when Lee Man Fong included the figure of a waiting girl and boy alongside the protagonist of the satay seller. Additionally, the inscription noting the completion of the work in Jakarta is indicative of the artist taking great pleasure in the quality of his completed picture.
Highly disciplined as an artist, the value of Lee Man Fong's masterpieces lie in his technique. Writing about his artistic aesthetic, he says "I believe that first and foremost art is about the mastery of technique on shapes and motion." Influenced by Indian art, the artist uses a technique of short and deliberate translucent strokes of paint to deliver a luminescence similar to that of the chiaroscuro technique developed by the old masters. Coupled with his ability to render form in a precise manner, it is this that gives his work a sense of movement despite the minimalism of his line and composition. Lee Man Fong distils the art of painting oil on masonite board down to its essence, resulting in a body of work which has subtly changed the landscape of Balinese traditional painting, while remaining one of the most highly collected 20th century Indonesian artists today.
In his work, Lee Man Fong celebrates and recognizes the importance of cultural heritage, often painting his human subjects engaging in activities which are traditional in nature. To him, 'art is an essence of culture without the form of written words but only strokes that tell directly anyone regardless of time, race and language'. In Weaver (Lot 118) and Satay Seller (Lot 117), he frames each individual in a realm of his or her own, focused on their task at hand oblivious to the eye of the viewer. Painting from life, these characters are not figments of lee Man Fong's imagination; rather, they are permanent fixtures of the Indonesian village-scape.
Weaver depicts a woman totally absorbed in her work. Her pride in her work is clearly highlighted in her erect, alert pose and her tender attentiveness to the task at hand. Meanwhile, Satay Seller, a rare 1958 composition, is one of the first documented instances when Lee Man Fong included the figure of a waiting girl and boy alongside the protagonist of the satay seller. Additionally, the inscription noting the completion of the work in Jakarta is indicative of the artist taking great pleasure in the quality of his completed picture.
Highly disciplined as an artist, the value of Lee Man Fong's masterpieces lie in his technique. Writing about his artistic aesthetic, he says "I believe that first and foremost art is about the mastery of technique on shapes and motion." Influenced by Indian art, the artist uses a technique of short and deliberate translucent strokes of paint to deliver a luminescence similar to that of the chiaroscuro technique developed by the old masters. Coupled with his ability to render form in a precise manner, it is this that gives his work a sense of movement despite the minimalism of his line and composition. Lee Man Fong distils the art of painting oil on masonite board down to its essence, resulting in a body of work which has subtly changed the landscape of Balinese traditional painting, while remaining one of the most highly collected 20th century Indonesian artists today.