Lot 109
AFFANDI
b. Indonesia, 1907 – d. 1990
BAMBOO BRIDGE, 1989
Signed with artist’s monogram (lower right)
Oil on canvas
60cm x 80cm
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Indonesia.
Accompanied with certificate from Yayasan Affandi,
Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
ESTIMATE RM 110,000 - 160,000
PRICE REALISED RM 123,200 |
“...as his expressions gradually took shape, the images in his paintings emerge side by side with pure visual components. The images and the visual components – the strokes, the lines, the hand-scratches, the colours and the directly-applied paints – all form a totality that represents Affandi’s energy, which emanated from within him when he was face-to-face with reality. What these images convey, therefore, are not messages; rather, it is power.”
– Sardjana Sumichan
Affandi was the first Indonesian artist to gain international acclaim for his unconventional expressionist style. After travelling extensively in India and Europe in the 1950s, his original mode of painting evolved from using strong linear strokes and realism to a more experimental approach using brushes along with his hands in a spontaneous manner to create his own unique individual form of expression. His artistic practice can be described as an emotional expression of his feelings towards humanity based on his own observations and personal psyche. When painting, he is known to enter a trance-like frenzied state, only to end when he completes the work.
Bamboo Bridge is an exceptional example of this style that are evident in his oeuvre which brought him international fame. It is a style of painting that utilised instinct and awareness towards his objects, giving his paintings a sense of inhibition and authenticity of emotion. By employing his hands rather than paint brushes to manipulate the oil paints directly onto the canvas, he translates the impulsiveness of one’s human spirit into his own, drawing from his own psychological depths. For the artist, the elimination of the brush in favour of his hands better conveys the complexity of humanity.
Affandi was a true artist that felt the calling to creativity from an early age. While attending upper secondary school in Jakarta, he decided to give up his studies to pursue his desire to become an artist and taught himself how to paint in 1934. During this time he honed his skills at drawing and oil painting and began painting seriously in 1940, soon finding himself exhibiting and selling his artworks. The 1950s were his most creative years, after travelling in India and painting from 1949 to 1951 and from there to Europe exhibiting in major cities such as Paris, London, Brussels and Rome. He became a renowned artist who participated in a multitude of exhibitions abroad including the Brazil Biennale (1952) and Sao Paulo (1956), also showing in Venice in 1954, where he also won an award for his works. In 1957 he received a scholarship from the United States government to study arts education and was appointed as an honorary professor in painting by Ohio State University in Columbus. In 1974, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Singapore, The Peace Award from the Dag Hammarskjoeld Foundation (1977) and the title of Grand Maestro in Florence, Italy.
REFERENCE
Affandi, Volume 1, Bina Lestari Budaya Foundation, Jakarta, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 2007.
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