Wahdi

Gifted from the artist to the late Mr. Ali Sadikin
Private Collection, Indonesia

This work is in good overall condition as viewed, and the paint layers are healthy overall. There is evidence of some very light wear to the edges of the work, due to abrasions with the frame, but this does not affect the overall image. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no sign of restoration. Framed.
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Wahdi Sumanta was respected for his involvement as part of the Group of Five artists whose collection of artworks provided a window into Indonesia’s artistic progression at the turn of the century. The other individuals in that art collective were Affandi, Hendra Gunawan, Sudarso and Barli Sasmitawinata. Each artist had their distinct painterly styles and favored subject matters. Wahdi may be seen as the more mystical from this grouping. The artist largely painted landscape paintings, for he believed that human beings were part of the natural landscape, rather than seen as separate from their environment. This philosophy veered slightly away from his peers’ artworks that focused on the everyday man as being sole instigator of their destiny, and thereby adhering to a nationalistic framework.

The artist was born in Bandung, West Java, and many of his paintings feature the mountains and beaches of his hometown. The present work Lake is a classic piece from his oeuvre, for it is a sweeping depiction of the faraway sun setting, its reflection visible upon the mountain tops and in the clear, still water of the lake. The artist had a unique relationship with perspective in the paintings, for unlike other artists who chose paint landscapes, their narratives oftentimes played with dimensions, painting the entirety of the landscape or only a small fraction of the environment.  Wahdi chose not to have perspective be the focal point of the artworks.

This is evident in the work entitled Lake, because the rocks along the shore direct the audience’s gaze to the center of the lake, while the mountain valley seen far in the distance further draws the gaze downwards. Thereby the artist with his deliberate composition of the lake, mountains, and sky, has established a relationship between the audience and the physical landscape. They are not voyeuristically appreciating the natural beauty, but rather are completely immersed in the world depicted in the painting. It is a spiritual relationship as expressed between Mother Nature, mankind, and the artist’s personal vision.