Pedersen's play on light shines on Java images

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): Hugo von Pedersen's sensitive use of light illuminates his impressions of Indonesia, particularly in paintings of the courts of Java at the tail end of the 19th century.

In many of his works, it is clear the Danish artist consciously used light to enhance the visual quality and set scenes.

As he was more able to control light in interiors, he was more successful in painting interior scenes featuring people, particularly portraits, over exterior renditions of rural villages.

A collection of his works was exhibited until last Monday at Duta Fine Arts Foundation in South Jakarta.

In Javanese Prince, the artist appears to have specifically chosen a distinct type and placement of the light source.

He uses a soft and rather diffused light, which seems to enter the space from above.

The light illuminates the subject's dark face, bathing it in a purplish tone.

Specific accents of light in the eyes, on the nose and the lips give a suggestion as to where the light source originates.

His headdress is lit in an impressionistic approach. The part below the neck of the subject is left dark, but the soft light subtly illuminates the royal broaches and emblems.

The contrast between the decorations against the relative darkness of the rest of his shirt, which acts as the background, enhances their visual appearance.

Arriving in the archipelago in 1896, von Pedersen traveled mainly through Java and Sumatra.

Two years later, Pedersen was commissioned to paint a full- length portrait of the Susuhunan (sultan) of Surakarta, which was to be presented to Holland's Queen Wilhelmina.

It is said the painting piqued the interest of royalty of the courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta. He gained increasing popularity in the courts and was soon dubbed "Painter of Kings".

Von Pedersen clearly paid great attention to his use of light in rendering his court subjects.

His Entertainment in the Kraton of Solo (oil on canvas, 131 x 218 cm), is a large work depicting a wayang orang theatrical performance staged especially for the consumption of the sultan in the main pavilion of the palace.

Christie's

Two figures sit in the lower part of the work's center.

The figure to the left is apparently the dalang, the director- narrator of the play who reads the story from a large book.

In front of the figure next to him -- his assistant -- there is a set of white candles, which not only becomes the reading light for the director, but the major light source for the scene.

The main characters of the play stand to the left of the canvas, casting shadows high on the adjacent wall, providing a dramatic effect and suggesting their prominence in the painting.

This large painting, which fetched more than US$65,000 in the Christie's Singapore auction earlier this month, does not place the dancers nor the sultan as the central figure.

Instead, the dalang, although placed in the lower part of the canvas, takes this role.

The painter appears to acknowledge the significance of the man, who is usually only known as the man-behind-the-scenes.

His importance is enhanced by placement of the light in front of him, making it seem as though an aura radiates around him.

In turn, from his head, light seems to radiate to illuminate the rest of the picture. The dalang, literally and figuratively, sheds light on the story of the performance.

Although quite an interesting and well-executed piece, Grebeg Festival, Yogyakarta, is rather flat and does not seem to have a clear point of focus.

It does not possess the quality evident in many of the artist's interior paintings.

His landscapes of Sumatra and Java, such as Village of Sumatra and Old Mosque in Batavia are bland, dark and lifeless in comparison to his other paintings.

Many of these small paintings, measuring around 25 x 35 cm, appear as drawings in Door Den Oost-Indischen Archipel, a 1902 travelog from journeys in India and the Far East.

The drawings seem to be much more refined than the paintings. It is possible that von Pedersen used his paintings to take descriptive sketches as types of snapshot reminiscences.

Many of them are late morning or early afternoon scenes done around high noon, made mainly for documentary purposes in settings the scenes.

For the publication, he would create much more refined renderings in pen or pencil.

Of course, there are also paintings of scenery that are quite strong.

The houses in Batak Village, Sumatra, depicted with warm colors, are set amid luscious vegetation of coconut palms, with a background of a clear blue sky.

Old Grave in Batavia depicts a grave, housed under an open four-post pavilion by a coconut grove.

The sky has a yellowish tone, with parts which seem quite dark. The sun's rays create a dramatic effect on the grave.

A white-clad figure in the foreground carries a lit lantern.

This tantalizing play on light leaves the viewer bemused as to whether the painting was painted during the day or at sunset.