An Artist in the Tropics of Java and Beyond

With pencil and brush in hand, Jan Poortenaar took to Java, Bali, and the Malay Archipelago in the 1920s. His work captures the region's exotic life and culture in drawings and delightful prose.

This is the "art journey" that Jan Poortenaar took to Java, Bali and the Malay Archipelago in the 1920's, capturing its exquisite and exotic life in drawings and delightful prose. Poortenaar writes with an artist's eye, and his prose is marvellously descriptive of every nuance of dress, colour and décor. He and his musician wife set off ready for anything, valuing experience and variety over comfort. Beginning with an amusing account of travelling and travelling companions, he describes Port Said, Penang, and the journey to Java. He has entrée to Sultans and palaces, but also spends time in temples and villages recording daily life. Particularly interested in music and dance, he sketches court performers, the dancers of Bali and performances of the Wayang, writing of what he sees, and capturing the rich cultural mix of Indonesia at the end of the colonial period.