Lot 094
ARIE SMIT
b. Holland, 1916
PURA DI BALI, 2000
Signed and dated 'arie smit '00' (lower left)
Acrylic on canvas
35cm x 35cm
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Indonesia.
ESTIMATE RM 11,000 - 14,000
PRICE REALISED RM 19,040
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For over fifty years, Arie Smit has been regarded as an important artist in Indonesian art. Notably one of the most well known foreign artists whose works are inspired by the life and land of Bali, his contribution to the development of painting in the island goes further than the celebration of the island’s portrayals on his canvases. An influential mentor and figure in Bali, he plays a significant role in establishing the “Young Artist” school in the late 1950s, a new stye of Balinese painting marked by its daring use of colour and simplified forms, well delineated by a thick graphic contour. In recognition for his significant contribution, he was awarded the Dharma Kusuma award from the government of Bali in 1992.
Born in Zaandam, Holland, in 1916, Arie’s love and great admiration for tropical places has brought him far away from his homeland to Bali where he has now lived since 1956. Bali provides perfect setting for his artistic creation. It is Bali with its extraordinary landscape and exotic culture, that Arie found what was always missing in his home country: light. His works from the 1960s up to the present testify to his never-ending passion and obsession with light and colours. Thus this depiction of various outdoor scenes is a result of his continuous search in capturing and reflecting all kinds of colours on to his canvases.
Characterized by the strong, bold lines, and expressionist tones, the work is spontaneous in nature and subjective in the choice of colours. It is in his concern in creating the overall mood of the scene that details are diminished, objects are simplified, and figures are scaled down. Through his work, Arie shares with us his artistic vision and feelings.
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