Description
Traditional Indonesian painting on cloth, 28 x 46 inches, circa 1938.
Depicting Javanese Wayang Kulit (shadow puppets) - read more here
A note from the donor, David Martin:
In 1938/39, my father, a New York City HS English teacher, took a sabbatical, and he and my mother traveled around the world. Literally and by freighter. My mother collected this art when they were in Indonesia: Bali and Java and I?m not sure where else. The painting is (or - the paintings are) of shadow puppets used to tell traditional tales at night in the villages. Sounds peaceful. But while they were traveling the world was on the brink of World War II. In Japan they saw that the country appeared militarized. But nothing seemed to affect their trip until the very end. They arrived in England earlier than expected. Since they were ready to get home, they rebooked passage back to New York onto ship set to sail sooner. Because of that, you are able to see these pieces and I am able to offer them to Catamount. Their scheduled ship was torpedoed crossing the Atlantic.