Adolfs, Gerard Pieter
(1898 - 1968, Dutch)

Indonesian Market Women, Soerabaya
painted in 1948
oil on canvas
60 x 80 cm
signed on lower right; inscribed, signed and dated on the reverse

Rp 40.000.000 - 50.000.000
S$ 2,880 - 3,600

Provenance:
Anonymous Sale, Christie's Singapore, 29 March 1999, lot 18

Literature:
Gerard Pieter Adolfs (1898-1968)-The Painter of Java and Bali, Eveline Borntraeger-Stoll, Gianni Orsini, Frans Jansen Editor, Pictures Publishers the Netherlands 2008, illustrated in black and white p. 388

Gerard Pieter Adolfs, one of the foremost chroniclers of colonial-era Java, brings his characteristic vivacity to "Women at the Market in Surabaja", a canvas alive with tropical light and bustling human presence. Two women dominate the foreground, their vivid green and yellow garments striking against a loosely rendered backdrop of weathered walls and warm terracotta tones. One carries a woven basket balanced with practiced ease, a detail that grounds the scene in the daily rhythms of market life, while a third figure crouches nearby beside baskets of produce, her white robes catching the strong midday sun.

Adolfs's brushwork here is confident and unlaboured, built from broad, energetic strokes that prioritize atmosphere and movement over fine detail. This painterly looseness, combined with his instinct for colour harmony, reflects the influence of European Impressionism filtered through decades of immersion in Indonesian subject matter. The interplay of cool shadow and radiant light across the sandy ground demonstrates his mastery of tropical illumination, a hallmark that distinguishes his work within the broader Mooi Indië tradition.

Having passed through Christie's Singapore in March 1999, this painting carries a documented history among collectors of Indonesian colonial-era art. It stands as a vibrant example of Adolfs's enduring fascination with everyday life in Java, capturing not merely a market scene but the dignity and quiet industry of its subjects.