LOT 23
KOEMPOEL SUJATNO
(B. Indonesia, 1912-1987)
Ox Cart in Chinatown, Undated
Signed on lower left
Oil on canvas
40 x 50 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Singapore
Acquired from a private collector in Bogor, Indonesia
AVAILABLE – RM 2,500 -RM 5,000
Koempoel Sujatno was born in 1912, in Paron Village, Ngawi, East Java. Being of royal blood enabled him to study at a technical school at Surabaya, which proved to be very beneficial for his painting technique development. His talent in art attracted the school headmaster – Van Staal’s – attention.
He recommended Koempoel to the naturalist maestro Gerard Pieter Adolfs, one of the advocates of the Mooi Indie (beautiful Indie) style. Adolfs taught Koempoel some realistic representation techniques that would become a key of his success in the future. Since then, Koempoel continued exploring Surabaya city center crowds and sceneries for his painting subjects, as seen in this piece.
When Koempoel followed his parent to move to Malang, a comfortable city situated at the uplands, he met realistic painter Willem van der Does who saw his special talent and offered to become his teacher. He studied under Williem van der Does for seven years. In 1935, an obstetrician named Dr. Soerodjo found Koempoel’s works so remarkable that he decided to sponsor Koempoel’s first exhibition in Malang.