Project 1: Barbarian Arrival

For Project 1, I am going to concentrate on the arrival of the Portuguese into Indonesia. In particular, I want to focus on the moment when the Javanese first see the large galleon of the European spice-trade ships.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach the shores of Indonesia. When the traders landed on the islands, they had been coming from a newly conquered Malacca. On top of this, their success in spice trade and other various victories throughout southeast Asia fueled a fire to continue their colonial trade conquest. They hoped to expand the spice trade that was successful out of India and the Middle East, as well as spread their religious ideals of the Roman Catholic Church. The Portuguese's colonization of the islands such as Java took a toll on both the foreigners and the Indonesian natives.

So, as I'm not a great artist, I would like to do this in a manner of a small painting. The landscape is set at the beaches of the Javanese natives, the Sundanese. Standing around on the shores, they gather close together to point and discuss the large vessel that has parked itself on the shores of the islet.  I remember hearing once that the natives of America were unaware European ships were at the shores as they didn't know what to look for, but this will be improbable in my art piece as an ominous cloud trails behind the European trade galleon.

I'm using acrylics with rather bright, tropical color. Following these ship though, will be the tremendous change in atmosphere and colors, much darker with greys, blacks, greens and blues. This idea was inspired by Thomas Cole's painting of the expansion to the west during "Manifest Destiny."

My piece would be intended for an exhibit. I believe the painting is very direct and easy to understand. While there isn't much to dwell on, nor the detail -- or skill for that matter -- to really dwell in for the audience, it is effective in foreshadowing the cruelty and somber tales of the colonization of Indonesia, and all the world for that matter. It is something a child could look at and understand that with this Portuguese trading galleon there too comes something dark and malevolent.

Other sources for references:

 Indonesian beach

 Martin Johnson Heade

Portuguese Trading Galleon