AFFANDI (Indonesian, 1907-1990)

One of Affandi's most characteristic representations is that of the fishing boat - Indeed, 'it is as if Affandi in all these works was making these beach and boat scenes a metaphor for his anxiety in the face of life and nature'. Perahu-Perahu Madura, painted in 1981, a mere nine years before his death is especially indicative of this introspective attitude, with the three boats on the sand, at rest. Commonly identified as the father of Indonesian art, Affandi often sought symbolic subject matters to paint in order to exemplify the humanity and lives led by the community that Affandi knew intimately.

Perahu-Perahu Madura is a classic work of Affandi, with its forceful lines and strokes, and three-dimensional impasto produced by the application of paint directly from the tube onto the canvas as well as the hand-smears. The painting sets itself apart from other works by Affandi with its strongly etched lines that run diagonally and dynamically across the painted surface.