Lot 87: JAN DANIEL BEYNON (The Netherlands 1830-1877)

Mother and child
signed and dated 'J.D. Beynon. 1869, Java' (lower right)
oil on canvas
41 3/4 x 30 3/4 in. (106 x 76 cm.)

A contemporary of the well respected Raden Saleh, Beynon is one of the colonial artists who recorded the Dutch East Indies on the canvas in the 19th century. The 19th century was a time when 'naturalistic' landscape developed in Europe, which had its roots in the belief of presentation of the ideal beauty of nature. Such naturalistic tendency adopted by the Dutch artists in the East Indies took on a new meaning as the initial need for painting or drawing in the colony was mainly topographical. Hence, there was a great attention to the details of the landscape, for instance, the flora and fauna of the East Indies were always faithfully recorded. In spite of a genuine interest for an objective documentation, Beynon and other Dutch artists were often drawn to the beautiful and the exotic aspects of the East Indies and they, unwittingly initiated the Mooie Indies (Beautiful Indies) school of painting that continued to be the major genre during the first quarter of the 20th century.

Mother and Child depicts an idyllic, almost romantic scene when both mother and child are frolicking by the stream. Perhaps this is the moment before the bath, as the mother is simply clad with a sarong-skirt, bearing her upper body and the baby who sits on her lap is unclothed as he stretches his arm towards the running stream of water, not quite touching the cool water yet, the baby is joyfully anticipating the sensation of the play with the water as the mother adoringly looks on. The effect of light is superbly applied thus adorning the subjects with a soft hue that glows in contrast with the sobriety of the surrounding, an unmistakable artistic legacy of great Dutch masters such as Rembrandt. This pictures composition demonstrates the matured skill of the artist with great emphasis on exactitude and details while the choice of subject remains a classic representation of the Mooie Indies School.