The Indonesian painting tradition

The painter Raden Sarief Bastaman Saleh (1811–1880) is seen as the founder of classic painting in the Indies. He was the first painter from the Indies who used European oil painting techniques to capture the exotic landscape of his home country in all its richness and glory. As such, Raden Saleh’s work is much sought after. His rendition of fabrics and materials as well as the drama in his scenes make him a great exponent of Romantic art. In his paintings, he wonderfully combines European techniques with East Indian themes. His highly dramatised images are more closely related to French Romantic art than to its Dutch counterpart, which is generally calmer and quieter.

Yet the majority of painters in the Dutch East Indies were, in fact, Dutch, or at least European, especially in the 20th-century Dutch East Indies. The painters whose work is most sought after these days include masters such as Adrian Jean le Mayeur de Merpres, Rudolf Bonnet, Willem G. Hofker, Theo Meier, Walter Spies, Charles Sayers, Roland Strasser, Willem Dooyewaard, Auke Sonnega, and Miguel Covarrubias.

Meanwhile, the group of Indonesian painters continued to grow. Some of the most famous artists nowadays are Affandi, Lee Man Fong, Basoeki Abdullah, Hendra Gunawan, and Sindudarsono Sudjojono.

Most painters were active on Java, but Bali became increasingly important, especially from the 2nd decade of the 20th century onwards. Bali had been discovered to be a source of inspiration for artists in pursuit of beauty. Its stunning nature in combination with the Hindu background of its inhabitants made Bali appealing in its exoticism, a place the rich from the West enjoyed visiting to marvel at its beauty, both of the island itself and of its people.

Most painters from the Indies were therefore ‘Mooi-Indië’ painters: scenes with vulcanoes, sawa’s and kampongs, cockfights, beautiful girls and boys – those were the most popular themes. Indeed, such paintings were in high demand. Many of Le Mayeur’s works, but also those of Hofker and Bonnet, were sold to Europeans living in the Dutch East Indies and to rich tourists from Europe, America, and others visiting the country. Especially Bali garnered much attention; the island received a great amount of publicity in glossy magazines of the time. The Belgian painter Le Mayeur and his beautiful wife Ni Pollok appeared in LIFE, Time Magazine, Holiday, National Geographic, Picture Post, and many more.

Le Mayeur’s work is some of the most sought after art in the genre. From an artistic perspective, the work of the German artist Walter Spies is more interesting however: his techniques had signficant influence on traditional Balinese painting. His work often appears to be mystical, and his influence is also apparent in the works of the Dutch artist Charles Sayers, an exotic variation on figurative surrealism.