Hendra Gunawan (1918-1983) The Market WomanPROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTIONHendra Gunawan (1918-1983)The Market Woman circa 1960signedoil on canvas laid down on board100 by 116 cm.39 3/8 by 45 5/8 in.ProvenancePrivate Collection of the Brouwer Family, Spain 亨德拉· 古拿溫 集市女人 約1960年作 簽名：Hendra（右下） 油彩畫布 木板 來源 西班牙Brouwer家族私人收藏 Lot 30 Kerokan (c. 1956) and Lot 29 The Market Woman (c. 1960) by Hendra Gunawan belonged in the collection of the Brouwer Family for many decades. Well-regarded as an important patron of the arts, Patriarch Robert P. Brouwer held many major roles both in diplomatic services as well as private banking sectors. He began his career in Asia in 1946 working for the Dutch diplomatic service in Bangkok where he met his wife. The Brouwers then moved to Indonesia in 1948 and lived in Jakarta and Medan for over a decade when he worked for Harrison & Crossfield. He was later appointed the Head of Asia for Swiss Re in Hong Kong and travelled throughout Southeast Asia for over twenty years. As the Head of Julius Baer Asia based in Hong Kong, he opened the bank's offices throughout the region. The Brouwers' passion for the arts included their patronage of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Mr Brouwer's role as the Chairman of Hong Kong's Chamber Music Society. Lot 29Lot 29 The Market Woman compellingly depicts a busy market scene where a group of women are engaged in a flurry of activities. Four women are seen sitting on a pavement, hawking their wares, which in this case appear to be poultry. Another lady in white soon joins in and offers her greeting. On her shoulder, a hen's head pops out of the basket she is carrying. The scenario on the painting gives the impression that the lady in white is already late when she arrives at the market. Her worried and guilt-ridden face is filled with regret, a stark contrast to the others who appear to be much at ease as all their poultries have been sold. A fragment of the above dramatic scene and the theme of banal everyday life are often found in Hendra's paintings. Many of these stories represent human interest and are demonstrated for the moral tales they entail. In this instance, the lady's tardiness leads to her inability to sell her products, rendering a failed business transaction. Such incident spells trouble for the ordinary poor citizens as without daily earning; her family would probably be deprived of their meal for the day. In this massive work, centrally focused figures juxtaposed in a compact composition are intentionally organised by the artist. His main objective was to highlight snippets of the drama, while bringing every detail and facial expressions to the attention of his viewers. It is worthy to note that The Market Woman presents a rather different perspective from Hendra's other paintings produced during the same era. Earthy colours such as cream, brown, yellow, maroon, and olive green set the tone for the majority of Hendra's works done in the 1960s. However, in The Market Woman, grey, blue, black, and white tones dominate the work, producing a unique and accentuated piece. The brushwork is loose and painterly. It is purposely impressionistic aiming to capture the momentary, fleeting moment when the market lady realised that she was late. The quickly applied brush strokes create a sense of movement and spontaneity. While it is widely known that Hendra often weaved and layered his observations onto his canvases like a dalang (puppet master), it is fascinating to note that his tales are very often interconnected to stories that appear in other paintings. The Market Woman is clearly related to his 1954 painting Para Penjual Ayam Bergegas Menuju ke Pasar (Poultry Sellers Hurrying to the Market) mentioned in the American art historian Claire Holt's book. The 1954 work illustrates a group of ladies forming an early morning queue and walking towards the market. Their humped back points to basketful of poultry that they are carrying. If one views both paintings together, it is reasonable to assume that The Market Woman, made circa 1960, is a sequel of Poultry Sellers Hurrying to the Market painted in 1954.  Similarly, Hendra's 1977 work Berlindung di Bawah (Shelter from the Rain) shows a female poultry seller and her two young daughters taking cover under a tree. This painting is said purported to be a sequel to Pedagang (Chicken Vendors) created in 1974. In one of his media interviews, Hendra stated that connecting stories through paintings was his common practice and a characteristic of his style. In many of his paintings, dramatic excerpts taken from lives of the common people are often portrayed to awaken his viewers' conscience. The plight of the working mother is evident in Arjuna Menyusui (Breastfeeding Arjuna), which was painted by Hendra in 1979. The work portrays an opera/wayang actress breastfeeding her baby with several children asleep by her feet during her break, while other actresses are busy applying their makeup backstage. In a scene from Bunga Muara (Estuary Flower) made by Hendra in 1979, a fisherman comes home after a dangerous day on the ocean and receives a loving welcome from his children who miss him. This striking work shows the fisherman playing with his offspring, with one of the children holding a flower and swinging precariously from his ankle dangling over the edge of a cliff. Bunga Muara (Estuary Flower) is a quintessential example of joy and contentment experienced by common folks despite trials and tribulations that surround them. Hendra Gunawan came from a wealthy royal Sundanese family; this background generated scepticism from critics and art observers as they questioned the artist's empathy for the ordinary common folks and why they are often cast as main characters in his paintings. In another media interview, Hendra explained that he had always been close to common people who lived in poverty. This phenomenon stemmed from his involvement in the revolutionary war against the Dutch. However, the impetus that brought him closer to the rakyat kecil was the period when he was close to President Sukarno. In 1946, Hendra Gunawan held his first solo exhibition in KNI Tower (Komite Nasional Indonesia), Yogyakarta. The exhibited paintings showcased the theme of everyday common folks. The objective of the exhibition was to express gratitude to President Sukarno who was fighting for the plights of the working people. The special highlight of this exhibition was that many rakyat kecil were invited to receive guests during this event. Naturally, President Sukarno was moved by Hendra's gesture. In his speech, the President acknowledged the concept of empathy, which was richly exhibited in Hendra's paintings, reflecting the depth of kindness and soulful beauty of the artist. Hendra Gunawan's solo exhibition drew him closer to President Sukarno, who never failed to remind him to continue painting and to give the people a voice. The latter understood that hard work and resilience of common citizens of Indonesia represent the root which forms the backbone of the country. Hendra's inclination towards the aforementioned theme was also inspired by various reference books. Although he was familiar with European and American books, Hendra preferred works done by Russian painters, whose ideologies were based on social communism. Among his favourite artists were Ilya Repin (1844-1930) and Vasily Surikov (1848-1919), whose works always illustrate commoners sharing a common bond in happy and hard times. To him, this was the beginning of Social Realism in the Soviet Union. In 1960, Hendra corresponded with several Soviet social realist artists. Although he had never met Vyacheslav Zaognek, Hendra had always considered Poultry Sellers Hurrying to Market (1954) to be a work which influenced and gave inspiration to Vyacheslav Zagonek's Morning. Zagonek's painting was done between 1959-1960; it now belongs in the collection of The Russian Museum. Hendra's reputation as an artist as well as someone close to common citizens became ideal for many politicians. His understanding of the political scene and close relationship with President Sukarno created many opportunities for him to be involved within such circles in Indonesia. While pursuing political art, Hendra was an active participant of LEKRA (Lembaga Kebudayaan Rakyat), an art organisation which had a strong association with PKI (Partai Komunis Indonesia or the Indonesian Communist Party). During G30S/PKI1965, Hendra was arrested and was jailed for thirteen years. However, this political experience did not cause his downfall as an artist. On the contrary, by the early 2000s, Hendra Gunawan's significant contribution was highly recognised. He is now lauded as Indonesia's top artist, alongside Raden Saleh, Sudjojono, Affandi, Basoeki Abdullah, and Lee Man Fong. Critics and observers who love Hendra Gunawan's works all agree that Hendra creatively and skilfully combined Indonesia's traditional culture with modernity.We sincerely appreciate Mr Agus Dermawan's contribution for the Hendra Gunawan essays. ---------------------以下为软件翻译，仅供参考---------------------