Lot 35 Dα

Born in 1912 to an aristocratic family in Padangtegal, Bali, Indonesia, Anak Agung Gde Sobrat is considered one of Indonesia's most prominent painter. As early as the 1920s, Sobrat came into contact with western style painting through artists such as the German Walter Spies and the Dutchman Rudolf Bonnet. Sobrat's motifs are drawn from his childhood, when he attended shadow plays and ritual dances. One such dance is the Baris dance depicted in the present painting. The dancer expresses the feelings and virility of a warrior prior to battle. The young dancer is depicted in full movement and bright colours. His luxurious clothing, including the drapery (awiran), the surrounding collar (badong) and the elaborate headdress, is depicted as meticulously and colourfully as the nightly scenery surrounding the dancer, in which he almost seems to disappear.