Lot Essay
The present lot, Rice-Fields and Hill Country (Lot 266) demonstrates Arie Smit's confidence and sensitivity to the use of colour in his paintings. Here, he has washed the entire canvas in hues of deep purples and browns, with accents of yellow and green. A feel for the soil and earth that forms the foundation of Bali's verdant landscape is complemented by the inclusion of toiling figures in the foreground. The labourers are depicted in miniature against their surroundings, and Smit highlights the relationship between people and land.