aep block test term 3

2. Liu Kang, Seated Model 1953, Oil on canvas

Hendra Gunawan, Bandung as a Sea of Fire 1972, Oil on canvas, 117x 197.5cm, Collection Ir Ciputra Foundation.

(a) Describe the subject matter of these paintings.

(b) Analyse and intepret the artists’ intentions.

(c) Describe the impact the two paintings have on you.

(a) “Seated Model” by Liu Kang is a portrait of a Balinese women seated in a chair. She is half naked and only wearing a pair of long trousers which is red and green in colour. There is a white belt at her waist covering up her belly button. The seated model is the main focus of the portrait. In her right hand she is holding a small bundle of white flowers and she is resting her chin on her left arm and her left hand clutches to that of her right shoulder. The model is not directly looking at the artist and her focus of attention seems to be on something at the bottom left hand corner of the painting. Her black, shiny, glossy hair is being bundled back in a neat bun with two pins of flower, one red and one purple on it. There are also two round earrings which she has put on her ears. The portrait is depicted in a scene with the natural , external environment as its background. There is a bush of small white flowers at the left hand side of the painting just in front of a brick wall. There are also some tall tress with their leaves dangling down in front of the brick wall. There are many rectangular shapes which we can see in the painting such as the chair, the model and the brick wall. The colours used are mainly naturalistic and harmonious. The paints and forms have been carefully modeled so that no visible brushstrokes can be seen. The lines in the painting are generally sinuous and flowing, except when it comes to objects such as the brick wall. Also, this is a well balanced and unified composition.

“Bandung as a sea of fire” is a painting done by Indonesian artist Hendra Gunawan. The painting has been divided into two by the diagonal path which leads from the right bottom to the top left hand of the painting. In the background, the figures and forms are merely suggested with blocks of paints, with no clear features, Some of them are armed with guns and are running up the hill, towards the left hand side of the painting. In front of them are the villagers running desperately for their lives. There are parents carrying their children on their backs. They are all going towards the uphill direction. Behind them as the background, there are buildings which have collapsed and are on a “sea of fire”, with smokes coming out of the ruins. In the foreground of the painting we see a dying man, he is lying on his back with his face turned towards the right, facing the viewers. His eyes are expressionless, only with agony and he seems to be in great pain. Both his legs are raised up with his feet resting against the ground. Next to him on the left hand side of the painting is a woman. She is crawling on her stomach. Her attention is focused on the dying man and she is raising one of her eyebrows. The colours used are vibrant., striking and warm such as the reds and oranges , with shades of tertiary and black colours as the background. The forms are done realistically in a painterly fashion, with visible brushstrokes and no careful modeling such as the hair of the dying man. The lines used are mainly jagged. The composition is quite well balanced with both activities going on in the foreground and at the background.

(b) Liu Kang is one of Singapore’s pioneer artists. He went to Bali for a period of time together with his fellow artist to source for inspiration for new subject matters for his artwork. The painting, “the seated model” has been done in a realistic way with harmonious and naturalistic colours. It brings out the simplicity of life of the Balinese people. The sitter is also in only simple, basic clothing which is a pair of trousers. The artists is most likely trying to get across the message that the Balinese people lead a simple, pure, naïve lifestyle away from the hustle and bustle of the city. As the painting is depicted in the external environment, Liu Kang is also probably trying to express his love for nature of Bali and that Bali has nice sceneries without much industries and city-like modern development.

“Bandung as a sea of fire”, as the title suggests, depict a scene of war and chaos. Hendra Gunawan usually painted subject matters related to the independence of Indonesia. The iconography in the painting all seem to be in great agony and pain, suggesting that the country is undergoing a period of uncertainly and political turmoil. Paints are applied in a painterly fashion with visible brushstrokes, thus conveying the artist’s emotional response to the subject matter. In fact, the emotional views of the artist has been so strongly conveyed that it seems to even overwhelm the subject matter of the painting. Vibrant, bright colours like reds, oranges and browns are used to bring across the agony of the subject matter. The artist is probably trying to say that the people of Bandung lead a hard life having to escape from the clutches of wars. The use of red also adds tension to the painting. He may also be trying to convey the cruelty of wars, as seen by people dying and being engulfed by the fires and flames. There are also people trying to escape, and are running for their life.

(c) Both paintings have left a deep impression on me. However, the feelings which they have conveyed vary greatly.

“Seated Model” gives me a sense of calm and harmony, as we are being presented with the simplicity of the life of the Balinese people. The use of harmonious and naturalistic colours suggest the purity of life of the Balinese. It also brings across the simplicity o f the naive and native population.

“Bandung as a sea of fire”, on the other hand, gives me a sense of urgency and makes me scared an d afraid. The use of bright, striking colours has added a sense of tension to the painting. From it I leant that the people of Bandung are living in a state of fear and uncertainty, and that there is no harmony in the country as people are running for their lives. It impacted on me as a more powerful painting as compared to the “Seated Model”. “Bandung as a sea of fire” is more striking in its use of colours and it has left a deeper impression on me with its bold use of colours. Hendra Gunawan is an Indonesian artist who, through the use of bright and vibrant colours, try to depict the landscape of Indonesia and its people. The themes of his work are also commonly based on the struggle of independence of Indonesia. “Bandung as a sea of fire” has left a deeper impression on me as the subject matters are depicted in a more gruesome way.