Page 28 - Sidharta Auctioneer

Bakul Ayam by Soetopo

(lots #718)

The painter Soetopo was born in Yogyakarta in April, 1931. After
completing his education at ASRI Yogyakarta in the 1950s, Soetopo joined
Sanggar Pelukis Rakyat, which was founded by Hendra Gunawan, and
studied under the guidance of Hendra Gunawan, Trubus, and Soedarso.
Using a style akin to realism, he presents the themes of daily activities and
social realities that exist around Javanese society. His paintings reflect his
personal life, which is simple and unpretentious.
In this painting a chicken vendor is seated in the foreground of the
painting. The chickens she sells are scattered on the ground in front of
her. She holds up two chickens by their legs, offering them to the standing
man in front of her. Meanwhile, another woman behind her tries to sell
the man another chicken. The standing man, dressed in a red and white
striped t-shirt with dark jacket, with a belt and big buckle holding up his
sarung and black pants, seems ready to bargain, while holding a chicken in
his left hand.
Behind them is another scene. On the upper left corner of the
canvas, another standing man holds a chicken while talking to a woman
next to him. Another man who is seated below them, appears to be
refusing money from the woman next to him. The painting shows the
dynamism of the market transactions among the chicken vendors.
This painting comes from the collection of the late a famous Indonesian
lawyer. Her eclectic collection consist of artworks by various Indonesian
artists, ranging from the more laid back, humorous artists, like Faizal and
Ade Artie Tjakra, to the more serious, senior artists, like Dolorosa Sinaga,
Maria Tjui, Amrus Natalsya, Soetopo, Jeihan Sukmantoro, and Sudarso.

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