Seated Javanese Dancer, 1933
by Bertha Lum
- Date:
- 1933
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- robynbuntin
by Bertha Lum
$1,000–$8,000. Common subjects: $1,000–$2,500. Key value factors: Bertha Lum's status as a pioneering Western woodblock printmaker gives her work historical value. Her Art Nouveau-influenced prints are particularly sought after.
A Javanese dancer sits in composed stillness in this 1933 oban-format woodblock print, reflecting Lum's later career shift toward Southeast Asian subjects. By the 1930s, Lum had moved from Japan to China and was traveling extensively through Java, Bali, and other Indonesian islands. Javanese court dance, with its controlled, angular gestures and elaborate costumes, offered her new subject matter rich in visual complexity. The seated pose captures a moment of repose — perhaps before or between performances — that allows attention to settle on the dancer's costume, headdress, and the precise positioning of hands and limbs. Lum adapts her Japanese woodblock technique to this new cultural context, the flat color areas and clean outlines translating effectively to the batik-like patterns of Javanese textiles.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Seated Javanese Dancer, 1933 was created by Bertha Lum in 1933.
Seated Javanese Dancer, 1933 depicts music and seascapes.
