Sudjana Kerton

Sudjana Kerton (1922-1994)
FIVE WORKS ON PAPER 

(I) SIDE PROFILES 

(II) BOROBUDUR  

(III) BOROBUDUR 

(IV) FIGURES IN A PARK 

(V) "SEASON'S GREETING" CARD 

(i) Print on paper 

(ii) Ink on paper

(iii) Ink and colors on paper 

(iv) Watercolor and pencil on paper

(v) Ink and colors on paper 

(i) Signed, inscribed and dated 52

(ii) Signed and inscribed 

(iii) Signed, inscribed and dated Dec 1951 

(iv) Signed 

(v) Signed, inscribed and dated 57

(i) 50 by 33 cm; 19¾ by 13 in.

(ii) 29.5 by 45 cm; 11½ by 17¾ in.

(iii) 45 by 30 cm; 17¾ by 11¾ in.

(iv) 19.5 by 24 cm; 7¾ by 9½ in.

(v) 12.5 by 18.5 cm; 5 by 7¼ in.

Provenance:
Gifted from the artist to the late Ms. Alice Barry Sears
Thence by descent to the present owner
In 1951-52, when taking a class taught by Yasuo Kuniyoshi at the Art Students League in New York, Sudjana Kerton came to know Alice Barry Sears (1926-2012) – a young artist who had recently received a BFA at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, done some graphic design, and then moved to the east coast with her husband. The Kertons and Sears developed a friendship that year that was long maintained.

Sudjana Kerton gifted Alice Barry Sears these five works on paper, hitherto unknown. In addition to letters (several of which are illustrated with Kerton’s sketches), vintage photographs of the artist and his family, exhibition and sales brochures, and miscellaneous documents including newspaper clippings, announcements, and advertisements, all of which Kerton sent to Alice Barry Sears to keep her abreast of the progress of his career.

The New York Connection: Alice Barry Sears

These works were gifted to Alice Barry Sears, a young American artist Kerton met at the Art Students League in New York between 1951 and 1952.

Kerton was one of the first Indonesian artists to receive a scholarship to study in the West (traveling through Europe and Mexico before settling in New York). During this period, he studied under the legendary Yasuo Kuniyoshi, an artist who himself navigated the complexities of being an "immigrant artist" in America. The friendship between Kerton and Sears represents a vital cross-cultural exchange. While the American art scene was leaning toward Abstract Expressionism, Kerton was refining a style that combined Western modernist techniques—bold lines and distorted figures—with Indonesian subject matter.

Analyzing the Works: Borobudur and the Social Sketch

The five works on paper highlight two distinct pillars of Kerton’s artistic psyche:

Cultural Heritage (Borobudur): The sketches of Borobudur included in the lot signify Kerton's desire to keep his Indonesian roots alive while living in the concrete jungle of New York. Borobudur, the 9th-century Buddhist temple, is the ultimate symbol of Indonesian civilization. By sketching it from afar, Kerton was asserting his identity in a global art capital that often marginalized non-Western voices.

The Social Sketch: The "Figures in a Park" and "Side Profiles" showcase his signature style—exaggerated limbs, heavy lines, and a focus on common people. Kerton famously focused on the hands and feet of his subjects, making them large and sturdy to symbolize the labor and resilience of the working class.

The Significance of the "Season’s Greeting" Card

The 1957 "Season’s Greeting" card is particularly poignant. In 1964, UNICEF chose one of Kerton's woodcuts for their official Christmas card, making him a household name in international humanitarian circles. These personal cards to Sears show the transition of a revolutionary soldier into a global citizen. They illustrate a man who, despite being thousands of miles from his homeland, maintained a warm, diligent connection to his peers through the very medium he used to fight a revolution: ink and paper.

The "Five Works on Paper and Archival Materials" are the "connective tissue" of a globalized art history. They represent a moment when an Indonesian revolutionary sat in a New York classroom, exchanging ideas with American contemporaries while sketching the ancient temples of his home.

Through these sketches and letters, we see Sudjana Kerton not just as a painter, but as a bridge-builder. He proved that the struggle for independence and the struggle for artistic expression are one and the same—a journey that took him from the battlefields of Java to the studios of Manhattan, leaving behind a trail of paper that still speaks of human connection across borders.