Rotsachtige kust van Zuid-Java met de grotten van Karang Bolong

Rotsachtige kust van Zuid-Java met de grotten van Karang Bolong is a 1930s Indonesian beach scape painting by the 20th-century Dutch impressionist painter, Willem Jan Pieter van der Does.
Description
Rotsachtige kust van Zuid-Java met de grotten van Karang Bolong (Rocky coast of South Java with the caves of Karang Bolong) is a painting by the dutch impressionistic artist Willem Jan Pieter van der Does. Painted probably in Java around the year of circa 1938, this painting depicts a view of one of the famous "marine" landscape in the strait of South Java "The Karang Bolong". This painting is an example of the artist's knowledge of nature, the colours of the skies and the texture of the ocean wave reflects the true characteristic of the calm but yet sublime scenery. Although the ocean and the cave it self is the main subject of the picture, theres something in the composition that will bring our eyes towards it, and that is the moon. Willem van der Does's works had always been regarded to be a beautiful example of nature's beauty, but from many of his works it is rather difficult to actually find a subject with a moon itself although he is capable in painting it (scenery with moon only appeared in Does's early works, where he often depicts evening or night scenery). The painting was owned by generations of a Dutch family who once lived in the Dutch East Indies for more than 90 years, now this painting is in a private collection.
Resemblance
The subject of rocky coast are rarely depicted in the 20th century (former) Dutch East Indies art movement, it was something unusual to find in Indies for any local or foreign artists. It is wise to suggest an idea that as a foreign artist, Willem van der Does was inspired to paint something similar to the other well known European painter although he works in the land of spices, far far away from what he called home (Not to mention also that Willem was also an impressionist painter). As we look and understand it deeper, this picture by Willem are similar to Claude Monet's series of the French seacoast works. Willem was perhaps inspired by Monet's depiction of the European landscape, and wonderful to think that whenever he "copies" or imagine Europe, it reminds him of his homeland.
Not only of the subject, but also of the colour decision by Willem are very similar with Monet's colour palette. In the reeves we see a rather dark greyish colour, but actually if we look closer, the landscape actually uses many rich colour (like Monet, Willem choose: marine blue, yellow orca, dark purple, medium green, and velvet red), this colour "crash" creates the more intense impressionistic looks and sense that both Monet and Willem tried to achieve.

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