Le retour du fils prodige : Raden Saleh à Java (1851-1858)

The author has undertaken a detailed biography and the catalogue raisonné of the Javanese painter Raden Saleh whose personality remains obscure despite his fame. This work in progress has already led to several publications in Archipel which relate his apprenticeship under the Belgian artist Payen in Java, his studies and his first years as a professional painter in Holland as well as his sojourns in several European capitals. In this new article, she scrutinizes the short period from 1852 till 1858 when Raden Saleh returned to his native island of Java after an absence of some 20 years. With the help of the Dutch archives and especially Raden Saleh’s personal letters in Malay, one can follow the painter while rediscovering his country and his family. He, who had officially been named "King’s painter" and had met kings and princes in Europe endeavored to find the place he deserved in colonial society. He had to face the cavils of the administration, to adopt a dress neither European nor Javanese and to provide his needy family’s wants. During this period, though he dreamed of noble artistic subjects, he was compelled to paint many portraits of colonial personalities, native administrators and opulent businessmen of Chinese and Armenian origin.Scalliet Marie-Odette. Le retour du fils prodige : Raden Saleh à Java (1851-1858). In: Archipel, volume 76, 2008. pp. 151-204