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Dense jungle of towering trees with a dirt path in front and two small figures at the foot of the central trunk

Javanese Jungle

Raden Saleh

What you see

A wall of trees fills almost the whole canvas. In the center, a very tall, pale trunk with roots spreading like fins rises to a broad crown. At its foot a dirt path leads into the jungle, where two tiny figures appear: a man in red raising a pole or long gun, with a dog beside him, and another person seated on a fallen log.

Dark greens dominate, broken only by the blue sky and pink clouds in the upper left. The leaves are built up with small touches, and on the right dead trees lift bare branches. In the lower right corner, among the grass, what looks like a crouching tiger peers out, though it is very small.

About Raden Saleh

Raden Saleh was born around 1811 near Semarang, on Java, and was the first Javanese to be trained as a painter in the Western manner: he arrived in Europe in 1829 and lived there for about twenty years. A Romantic painter, he became famous for his dramatic scenes of wild animals and hunts, his Javanese landscapes and his portraits. His painting “The Arrest of Prince Diponegoro” has been part of Indonesia’s national heritage since 2014, and his house in Jakarta, inspired by a German castle, is now a hospital.

All 12 works by Raden Saleh

More by Raden Saleh

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