Hendra Gunawan (1918-1983) KerokanPROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTIONHendra Gunawan (1918-1983)Kerokan circa 1956signedoil on canvas laid down on board130 by 70 cm.51 1/8 by 27 1/2 in.ProvenancePrivate Collection of the Brouwer Family, Spain 亨德拉· 古拿溫 刮痧 約1956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 30Born in 1918 in Bandung, West Java, Hendra Gunawan was imprisoned in 1965 for his political views and involvement in the Institute of Popular Culture (Lekra) associated with the failed coup by the Indonesian Communist Party in the same year. He was released in 1978 and died in Bali a few years later in 1983. Hendra Gunawan depicted people in daily life in the most positive light throughout his artistic career. His works provide a sympathetic view of human interactions and are dedicated to the joy and plight of rakyat kecil (ordinary people). Lot 30 Kerokan (c. 1956) and Lot 29 The Market Woman (c. 1960) were executed several years before the artist was jailed. Professionally, Hendra's artistic practice was largely influenced by the neo-classic and modern artists of Russa, known as the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991. Hendra was inspired by the Russian socialist realist artists including Ilya Repin (1844-1930), Mikhail Nesterov (1862-1942) and Viktor Vasnetsov (1848-1926) as well as their art portraying common people. Hendra's paintings also show his populist stance in association with Kuntilanak Wangi, a social organisation which promoted Indonesia's feminist movement between 1950 and 1965. According to Hendra, a world-renowned painting that carries a similar theme as kerokan is Mikhail Nesterov's Portrait of Sergei Yudin created in 1933. Nesterov's work focuses on the treatment and advancement of modern medicine, while the subject matter of Hendra's work centres on traditional medical treatment. Portrait of Sergei Yudin is an impasto realist painting. Hendra's Kerokan, on the other hand, infuses Oriental elements and creates a soft and transparent mood resembling impressionist style. Kerokan depicts an Indonesian massage technique and a subject matter rare in Hendra Gunawan's oeuvre. Kerokan is a traditional remedy where the body is rubbed with warm oil and abraded with a coin or blunt metallic instrument. It is an established Javanese therapy to heal and rid the body of impurities. President Sukarno (1901 –1970)​ who had always admired Hendra's kerokan paintings deemed them to be unique. In his view, Hendra's kerokan paintings were distinctive and promoted Indonesian traditional culture through modern art. It is no surprise that one of Hendra's kerokan paintings belongs in the National Collection of the President's Palace. Between the 1950s and 1970s, there were only five occasions where Hendra painted different versions of his kerokan paintings. For instance, Looking for Lice and Kerokan (c. 1950) is currently in the collection of Japan's Fukuoka Asian Art Museum; the present lot shares similar traits, such as a distinct palette of dulcet tones as well as an outdoor setting with a cassava plant on the side. Another kerokan painting (c. 1955) from President Sukarno's collection and now in the National Collection is viewed from the side and set within a more "luxurious" cloistered garden. Menyisir Sambil (Brushing While Breastfeeding ), an exuberant work from the Ciputra Collection, was painted in 1970 and set in an idealised landscape with a mountain range and lakes. Although there are variations of Hendra's kerokan paintings in terms of settings and compositions, his choice of subject matter becomes his point of reference when approaching this theme. Kerokan illustrates three female figures in a garden overlooking the edge of a field suggested by the cassava plant on the right. The three ladies in the painting are deeply engrossed in their activities and engaged in a moment of intimacy. The matriarch in the middle is sitting down comfortably, while the younger woman is squatting on the foreground with splayed feet. The younger woman is well dressed for an outing; a green and pink sash is perfectly tied around her waist harmonising with the ribbon in her hair. She is using a silver coin to rub the matriarch's back and holding in her hand a small dish of coconut oil used to lubricate the coin. The matriarch being abraded with the coin seems relaxed, allowing her back to stay bare and her hair undone. She is also ready to go out but has, perhaps, been delayed by her health issues; once properly scraped and rid of toxins, she might join the party as well. The little girl on the background is dressed in nice clothes and delighted to play and groom the matriarch's hair, savouring every moment to bond with the other two ladies during this traditional ritual. The works shows a well-blended composition—while the space is filled with torsos and long arms, it does not feel overcrowded. The cassava plant, a type of plants readily available and greatly favoured in Java, is spanning the length of the work. Hendra's soft palettes and careful application of fine lines create an impression of delicate leaves fluttering in a gentle breeze. Hendra always believed that the discourse of classical art could be adopted into modern art with a realist approach. His work with realist features invites the viewer to imagine and question its momentum: "What happened before this painting was done? What will happen after this painting is done?" His own experience during the turbulent times in Indonesia's history, from the fight for Independence against the Dutch to the communist purges led by the government of Suharto, allowed the artist not only to further develop his compassion for the Indonesian people but also to use kerokan as a metaphor to cleanse his motherland of the impurities that lied within. In 1990-1991, to commemorate the celebration of KIAS (Kebudayaan Indonesia di Amerika Serikat; Indonesian Cultural Association in the United States), curator Joseph Fischer tried to find Hendra's kerokan paintings to be exhibited. Although he was not successful in getting access to these kerokan works by Hendra, he stated that kerokan remains one of the most important and distinctive themes in the creation of Hendra Gunawan's paintings.We sincerely appreciate Mr Agus Dermawan's contribution for the Hendra Gunawan essays.