“Boschbrand” (Forest Fire) by Raden Saleh
“Boschbrand” (Forest Fire) by Raden Saleh depicts a dramatic scene where numerous wild animals have been chased by a forest fire to edge of a precipice. This monumental work and elaborate composition is set in a Javanese setting and was painted after Saleh had been in Europe for 20 years.
In Europe Raden Saleh had earned critical success and patronage. This painting was presented as a gift to his patron King William III of the Netherlands. The following year he was awarded the title of “King’s Painter”.
Raden Saleh Sjarif Boestaman (1811 – 1880) was an Indonesian painter of Arab-Javanese ethnicity. He was considered to be the first “modern” artist from Indonesia, then the Dutch East Indies. His paintings incorporated the nineteenth-century romanticism which was popular at the time while reflecting his cultural roots in his work.
“Boschbrand” (Forest Fire) by Raden Saleh
- Title: Boschbrand (Forest Fire)
- Artist: Raden Saleh
- Date: 1849
- Material: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 300 x 396 cm
- Museum: National Gallery Singapore
Saleh Sjarif Boestaman
- Name: Saleh Sjarif Boestaman
- Born: 1811 -Semarang, Dutch East Indies
- Died: 1880 – Buitenzorg, Dutch East Indies
- Movement: Romanticism
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“A given excuse that was not asked for, implies guilt.”
– Singaporean / Malay Proverb
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Photo Credit: JOM
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