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Natasha
Pa Benny
Visual Arts 10
September 24, 2014
Comparative Essay
Indonesia is a country full of art due to its diverse culture. Over the past
century, visual art in Indonesia has been vastly changing thanks to the Indonesian
artist who has been giving different influence to Indonesias visual art. The examples
are Raden Saleh and Affandi as they are some of the very first Indonesias modern
artist. The first artist would be Raden Saleh, whose artwork has been know in both
Indonesia and the Netherlands. Also Affandi, who is famous for his painting
technique of using his fingers. These two artist has bring two different impacts
toward the Indonesian modern art and this essay is going to compare both the
similarities and differences of these two artists.
Raden Saleh is considered to be the first Indonesian artist to introduce the
concept of modern art to Indonesia. Raden Saleh was born to a noble Javanese family,
which gives him the privilege to study from professional teachers. Raden Saleh lived
in Europe for 23 years, due to his artistic skills. While living in Europe, he learned a
lot of different techniques from European artists such as Horace Vernet and Eugene
Delacroix. Even though he was born to an Indonesian bloodline, his skills of being an
artist came from Europe, making a part of him European. Most of Raden Salehs
artworks depict the struggle of the Indonesian citizens or animals. Through out his
career as an artist, Raden Salehs style of painting stays consistent. ("Profil Raden
Saleh.")
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Being the opposite of Raden Saleh, Affandi taught himself on how to draw.
Affandi was not born to a noble family, so his artistic skills came from his experience
and practice of drawing. From observing all his artwork, there are transitions of
technique he use in painting. During his early years as an artist, all his artworks are
realistic and portray a clear image of the object. But later, his artworks became more
abstract and show more of his expression. He also used a new technique of painting,
by using his finger to draw not a brush. Most of Affandis painting depicts the portrait
of the people around him or even sometimes himself. ("Affandis Paintings Style.")
As both Raden Saleh and Affandi brought a huge influence on Indonesias modern
art, there are no similar factors that influence the achievement of both artists.
Raden Saleh is an artist that creates realistic pictures and sometimes has a
meaning behind it, so the composition of his paintings are arranged and has a deeper
meaning than Affandis. One of the example us the painting called The Capture of
Prince Diponegoro, which is one of Raden Salehs masterpiece. The rhythm of this
painting is how the peoples position is composed. First one is sitting down; the next
one would be standing up, and the
next sitting down again, then
standing up again. The next
composition is how the arrangement
is gradually going up as the eyes go
to the left side of the painting.
Through this particular position of
the object, in this case the people, in the painting; the composition of the painting
looks unified and integrated. The challenge of this painting is to fit approximately 40
people into the canvas. Through this painting, did not only he creates a rhythmic




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composition, but he was also able to express his feelings about the capture of Prince
Diponegoro by making the head of the Dutch big as a reference to their arrogance and
pomposity (Jay) This painting is also influenced by the pieces created by Italian artists
during the Renaissance period; this influence is seen in the position of de Kocks hand
(Carey, 2010).
While in one of Affandis painting with the title Three Moods, Affandi
doesnt really put a great thought into the composition; the composition of the
painting is only a repetition of the faces. Rather than composition, he focused more on
the line strokes of the faces, making the ages of the faces different using the brush
strokes. Affandi has a couple of
painting with three moods
similar to this, but each
painting varies with age as he
created them in different years
(Rosidi, 2008). The finger
technique creates a rough
texture on the faces, creating
deeper emotions of the faces. Take the face on the left as an example. The rough
texture makes the faces looks more depressed and sad; it also adds more age to it.
Though the composition of this painting is very simple, the brush strokes made the
rhythm of the painting more appealing. The rhythm of this painting looks very smooth
as the composition of the painting only consist of 3 similar object, but each of them
still has its own style and technique due to the unique lines. This finger technique was
what made Affandi a famous artist as he brings something new to the table for
Indonesian modern art.


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Both Raden Saleh and Affandis work was considered as an important artwork
as is presented something new to the Indonesian modern art society. For instance,
Raden Saleh first introduce the coloring technique he learned in Europe to Indonesias
modern art and it became a very famous artwork as it was something that Indonesian
artist at that time has not know yet. Raden Saleh was also the first artist that was able
to criticize the Dutch government, which at that time was colonizing Indonesia.
Affandi brought a new technique to the table. At first, when we see Affandis
paintings, it might seem unplanned and strange, but as we dig and try to understand
deeper, more emotions and expression could be seen.
These two artist, Raden Saleh and Affandi, contribute a big part into
Indonesias modern art. Raden Saleh, for instance, contributed into adding a tinge of
western art, especially their coloring technique. He also introduces a way to criticize
others, without using words. Affandi introduced a new distinctive way of painting,
which uses your finger. This technique in one way or another also introduces a new
way of expressing your emotions into Indonesias modern art.
The two different influences brought by Raden Saleh and Affandi has improve
the quality and artistry of Indonesias modern art. Even though the technique of both
artist are not as famous now as they were back then, they could be named the first-
step for Indonesias modern art. These two artist also have a vital role in enhancing
the quality and creativity of Indonesias modern art.





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Works Cited Page
"Affandis Paintings Style." Museum Affandi. Museum Affandi, n.d. Web. 23 Sept.
2014.
Jay, Sian. "Raden Saleh: The Romanist Aristocrat." Indonesian Heritage Series.
Indonesian Heritage Series, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2014.
"Profil Raden Saleh." Mengenang Raden Saleh. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
Rosidi, Ajip. 100 Tahun Affandi. Bandung: Nuansa Cendekia, 2008. Print.