LOT 15
POPO ISKANDAR
(B. Indonesia, 1927-2000)
Two Leopard and The Sun, 1997
Signed and dated “Popo ‘97” on lower left
Watercolour on paper
15 x 21 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Indonesia
Comes with a certificate from the artist
SOLD – RM 3,540
“A leopard is speechless in his amusement as he is surrounded by a swarm of fireflies, to which he can do nothing. This theme which has never before been touched upon in the jungle if Indonesian fine arts is perhaps a kind of humour which is gentle, teasing, even philosophical, up to the interpreter but yet clear, this is a kind of rest stop for a painter who has worked for 40 years, in which for an instant he can free himself from the problems of modern forms.” – Popo Iskandar, Popo Iskandarkiran Rakyat 1983. Popo’s signature is his popular motifs of cats, leopards and roosters as well as his landscape and figurative paintings and abstract works.
This watercolour on paper piece shows the artist’s familiarity with his favourite subject, as seen in the characteristics – the spots, the green eyes, its shape and the movement of the felines. Two leopards are intermingling with one another, flowing gently and seamlessly, as the background indicates a clear, sunny day.