This striking work by Gerard Pieter Adolfs displays his impressionistic and expressive style, depicting two figures within a market scene in Java, Indonesia. Rich, vibrant colours are applied generously in quick, successive strokes. Executed in 1948, Marktfiguren, Java offers a vibrant portrayal of daily life, masterfully captured by Gerard Pieter Adolfs. Having spent his youth in Java and trained in architecture in Amsterdam, Adolfs brings his vision of local culture and a sense of atmosphere to this work. Upon graduating, he returned to design homes in Yogyakarta, Solo and Surabaya. Known as “The Painter of Java and Bali”, Adolfs had an ardent desire to paint what he saw. Blessed with an exceptional talent, Adolfs produced remarkable etching, sketches, drawings, murals and illustrations in a myriad of mediums like pastel, gouache, watercolour and oil. A globe trotter and an observant artist, he painted everywhere he went from the mystical dances and rituals in Bali, the way of life in Japan and North Africa to the scenic landscapes of Italy and Spain as well as the culture in the Netherlands. He painted in a variety of styles and was a contemporary painter of every era as seen in his spectacular paintings of the post-romantic period of green palette (1924–1928), Chiaroscuro (1928–1931), Graphic period in orange hues (1930–1935), Impressionism (1936–1940), Luminist period (1940–1947), Neo-Impressionist period (1946-1967) and Abstract (1965-1968).