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Lot Essay
Hendra Gunawan was born in Bandung, West Java, in 1918 to a working class family. Being constantly in touch with simple village life and deeply involved in the theatre scene, it is no wonder that the scenes of local environs and a theatrical colour palette frequently emerge in his oeuvre. In 1939, he dedicated his life to painting and participated in the Sanggar Pelukis Rakyat (People's Artists Studio) in Yogyakarta, Central Java together with another Indonesian maestro, Sudjana Kerton. Together with other fellow painters in his era, Hendra faced the most tumultuous period in the Indonesian history; marked with wars and political instability, and Hendra, being a nationalist, ended up being incarcerated due to his heavy involvement in the Indonesian communist party. In prison, Hendra found liberation in his mind by painting his family and the environment he had always been surrounded with.
Fruit Seller (Lot 3320) is a well executed and classic Hendra Gunawan painting, with the fruit seller standing amongst women nursing their children. Each of the women figures is an archetypal Hendra creation in homage to the simple beauty of the mother and child relationship. Fruit Seller narrates life and pastoral existence in a typical Indonesian village. Hendra's indomitable nationalistic sense perpetuates keenly through his colour and brush strokes. His colour palette, inspired by the exotic and elaborate batik weave, depicted the idyllic vista of his hometown, Bandung as stunningly vibrant and alive. Aptly known as the "Flower City of Indonesia", Bandung remained a major inspiration for Hendra. Within the background, the mountain is rendered with a contrasting combination of stiff and flowing lines and the pasture with a cool colour palette - a supreme representation of the majesty and tranquillity of the Indonesian landscape. As can be seen in Fruit Seller, the women are sitting on the ground, languidly breastfeeding their children and going about the market. This scene, so well-captured by Hendra, eloquently articulates the communal and maternal side of Indonesian women.
Fruit Seller (Lot 3320) is a well executed and classic Hendra Gunawan painting, with the fruit seller standing amongst women nursing their children. Each of the women figures is an archetypal Hendra creation in homage to the simple beauty of the mother and child relationship. Fruit Seller narrates life and pastoral existence in a typical Indonesian village. Hendra's indomitable nationalistic sense perpetuates keenly through his colour and brush strokes. His colour palette, inspired by the exotic and elaborate batik weave, depicted the idyllic vista of his hometown, Bandung as stunningly vibrant and alive. Aptly known as the "Flower City of Indonesia", Bandung remained a major inspiration for Hendra. Within the background, the mountain is rendered with a contrasting combination of stiff and flowing lines and the pasture with a cool colour palette - a supreme representation of the majesty and tranquillity of the Indonesian landscape. As can be seen in Fruit Seller, the women are sitting on the ground, languidly breastfeeding their children and going about the market. This scene, so well-captured by Hendra, eloquently articulates the communal and maternal side of Indonesian women.