Tuesday, March 31, 2009

the art of Affandi

Of the various art forms popular throughout Indonesia, and particularly in Bali, painting is the one most influenced by both western ideas and demand. Yet until the start of this century, the portrayal of Hindu epics was the dominating form.

Generally, artists were not afforded room for personal expression, as their designs followed strict aesthetic and religions guidelines. However, this trend began to change at the beginning of the 20th century with the arrival of European painters, as artists formed unique and hybridized styles.

The use of Asian symbols in the works of, amongst others, Paul Gauguin, Toulouse Lautrec and Camille Pissaro, created interest and fascination with Asian-influenced art.
European painters traveled to Bali to experience the culture first-hand, and some never returned.

Ubud’s international fame as Bali’s preeminent city for art can be traced and accredited to the arrival of German painter Walter Spies, and Dutch painter Rudolf Bonnet.
Together, with Indonesian artist Gede Agung Sukawati, the last “king” of Ubud, they established the Pitamaha Group. This institution was formed to legitimize and institutionalize Indonesian art while encouraging Balinese artists to both grow and diverge from traditional painting. The development of diverse and individualized styles can be seen in works of the varied artists displayed on this site.


garuda, the mythological bird of hindu folklore




a bridge in new york



cart drawn horses




wooden boat and fisherman




"affandi painted his master piece" painted by an artist depicting the maestro at work, by squeezing directly from the tube and smeared it with his hand over the canvas.



Affandi potrait, in his early career Affandi paint in realism until he found his own style of expressionism. these only a few of Affandi paintings, I hope you can share with us more of Affandi works available on the net, if you know this information, please   submitting the link in the comment area, it would be very helpful for others to find Affandi works. The maestro is gone leaving legacy lots of his paintings in collectors hand from New York to Singapore. 

 

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