Fighting Between Rama and Shinta

The renowned painter Basoeki Abdullah had several established themes for his artwork. One of them being the Javanese wayang stories. Ever since he was little, he had always loved going to the shows. Young Basoeki imagined himself to be one of the characters in those stories. When he then began his journey in art, his childhood favorite past time became one of the things he focused on in his work. This painting by him called, "Fighting Between Rama and Shinta" is exemplary of that.

Rama and Shinta is a romantic story as legendary as that of Romeo and Juliet. Of course, there are significant differences between the two tales. The 219 cm x 88 cm painting depicts the war that Rama wages on the giant Rahwana to save Shinta from the clutches of the latter. The cast of characters portrayed in the painting consist of Shinta, Rahwana, Lesmana, Hanoman, and Jatayu. Shinta is the woman standing behind Rahwana.

On the opposite side of the two, Lesmana is shooting arrows at the giant. The ones coming to Lesmana's aide are Jatayu and Hanoman. Jatayu, the giant bird figure clawing at Rahwana, is a best friend of Shinta's father. Meanwhile, Hanoman, the white ape, is the king of his species. He draws from the power of his army and his own magical prowess to help with the rescue of Shinta.