Lucia Hartini - Spying Eyes, 1989, oil on canvas

Lucia Hartini  Spying Eyes, 1989, oil on canvas

Lucia Hartini


Spying Eyes, 1989, oil on canvas


Description

In the foreground,

- Lucia Hartini is seen sleeping in a fetal position, lying on blue cloth, suspended in mid-air with her face seeming calm and at peace. 

- There is a blue cloth wrapping around her, floating from the foreground to the background of the painting.

In the midground,

- There are 3 eyeballs floating around with different coloured (red, blue and orange) light rays shining towards Lucia Hartini. 

- These lightrays place a focus on the subject matter, the sleeping form of Lucia Hartini.

In the background,

- There are orange clouds floating against the dark purple sky.

- There is also smoke in between the brick walls, moving from the background to the foreground, towards Lucia Hartini.

Style

Lucia Hartini specializes in surrealism and abstract art. 

Her work raises questions of gender and personal transformation.

The brushwork is largely smooth and fluid, almost invisible and well blended. This makes the work very realistic, even with its highly imaginative composition and subject. Hartini has meticulously painted even the strands of hair or creases in the drapery, such that they are clear to the viewer. They are dynamic in the sense that they lead the viewer’s eye through the painting so smoothly, allowing the viewer to feel like he or she were in a trance

Principles of Design & Elements of Art

- The wavy, floating, cool-colored, blue cloth contrast with the rigid, cracking, zig-zagging, warm-coloured, red brick wall, forming an illusion of space.

- In the background, the orange clouds contrast with the dark purple sunset sky. The stark difference between the warm and cool colours too creates an illusion of space.

- The blue cloth which travels from the foreground, to the background and back again, leads the viewer to look all around the painting, however, constantly keeping a main focus on the subject matter, Lucia Hartini.

Symbolisms

The eyeballs symbolize the people living in her village who are always keeping a close watch on her every move, making her feel like an outsider, as she is a Catholic who is living in a village where the majority are oppressive MUSLIMS. Her actions are disapproved by many people in her village.

The cracked red brick wall symbolizes her weakening ability to feign ignorance against  the people who are keeping a close watch on her. She used to be able to handle the uncomfortable situation but it has reached a point where she might not be able to take it. 

The cloth symbolizes a safety net that keeps her safe and comfortable. The fact that she is floating shows that her mind is not heavy with all the problems that she is facing. Her fetal position and peaceful look shows that she is currently trying to ignore all the stares and comments and trying to lead a serene life. The cloth also hangs loosely shows her relaxed state of mind when she was painting it.

Artist
Lucia Hartini is an Indonesian female artist whose works are based on her life living in a village. 
She is also known for her painting, "Beautiful Surrealism". A founding member of the "Surealis Yogya", formed in 1985, she was the only woman from the original group to continue painting professionally from the late 1970s. Lucia's paintings respond to her natural and social environment, as well as to the challenges and dramatic changes in her life. She expresses her thoughts, emotions and feelings numerous times in her paintings.


Lucia Hartini is the sixth of nine children. She has, since childhood, enjoyed seeing her sisters hone their skills in various art forms. From where might she got dexterity. At first she did not aspire to be an artist.


Other Related Works

Srikandi, 1993, Oil of Canvas

http://un-erasable.blogspot.com/2011/04/essay-on-lucia-hartinis-srikandi1993.html


Explanation
This work is in the same series as Spying Lens. They portray Lucia Hartini being watched by eyeballs, covered in the same blue cloth. However, in Spying Lens, Lucia seems to be unaware of the eyeballs, sleeping while in Srikandi, she is standing upright, with clenched fists in arms akimbo, staring back at the eyeballs, this shows that she has somehow gained the confidence and self-belief to overcome her insecurity. The background is also different in both works.