Artwork
The Kemanglen Sugar Factory near Tegal (or Tagal), Java
The Kemanglen Sugar Factory near Tegal (or Tagal), Java is an oil painting by Ab Salm. It dates from 1870 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Ab Salm's 1870 oil painting depicts a landscape centered on the Kemanglen sugar factory located near Tegal (also known as Tagal) in Java.
Ab Salm's 1870 oil painting depicts a landscape centered on the Kemanglen sugar factory located near Tegal (also known as Tagal) in Java. The composition includes specific architectural and natural elements, portraying a sugar refinery alongside a house and a tree. The work is set within the geographical context of the Pakembaran area near Tegal.
As a landscape genre piece, the painting serves as a visual record of this specific industrial site and its immediate surroundings in mid-19th century Java, capturing the coexistence of agricultural infrastructure and nature.
Technique & Style
The Kemanglen Sugar Factory near Tegal (or Tagal), Java is an oil-on-canvas landscape painting executed by Ab Salm in 1870. The work is characterized by its substantial physical dimensions, measuring 80 cm in height and 106 cm in width. As a landscape genre piece, the composition depicts specific elements of the Javanese environment, including trees, a house, and the sugar refinery itself within the locales of Tegal and Pakembaran.
The handling of the oil medium on the canvas support serves to render these architectural and natural features within the scene.
History & Provenance
The painting The Kemanglen Sugar Factory near Tegal (or Tagal), Java was produced in 1870 by the Indonesian artist Ab Salm. Executed in oil on canvas, it portrays the sugar refinery, a house, a tree and the surrounding landscape of Tegal, reflecting the industrial environment of the Dutch East Indies. The work was later acquired by the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on view as part of the museum’s landscape collection.
Its creation coincides with the period of colonial sugar production, and the composition demonstrates Salm’s interest in documenting contemporary industrial sites.
Overview
Ab Salm's oil painting, The Kemanglen Sugar Factory near Tegal (or Tagal), Java, created in 1870, captures an industrial scene within a tropical landscape. This work provides a visual record of sugar production in the Dutch East Indies during the late 19th century, focusing on the operations at the Kemanglen facility in Pakembaran, Tegal. The artist employs oil paint to render the bustling activity and the distinct architectural features of the factory.
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