AFFANDI (Indonesian, 1907-1990)

Vendedor de papagaios na praia de Copacabana (Kite vendor in Copacabana) (Lot 455) is a sharp contrast to the dramatic landscapes of the current coinciding lots. Here Affandi paints a scene with a subject more familiar to his life at home in Indonesia: a beach trader's stall and the shore line. In the foreground a flock of bird-kites is brought to life by the coastal winds and the free-flowing strokes the artist. The bright seaside daylight manifests in primary colours and scatters affandi's dabs of paint. Beyond the haphazard stall, throngs of people crowd the beachfront, and the intensity of the blazing heat is cooled by the green-blue hues shared by the distant mountains and the sea. Despite the quotidian nature of this scene, as in all three lots presented by Christie's, the palpable energy and dynamic technique create a work that is undeniably mesmerizing.