A Balinese beauty combing her hair

Theo Meier once commented that "I am less concerned with an imitation of Nature than with a representation of my impression of her, my concept, my dream; but abstract painting is not to my taste. My mind is too much involved with the senses, with the visual, not tied up with a depiction of reality, but purely as the concept of an object" (Garrett Kam, Perceptions of Paradise, Museum Neka, 1993, p. 104). The artist has a distinct affinity for Paul Gauguin both in terms of stylistic preference as well as his philosophy. Bali with its rich culture and beautiful people serves as a rich source of inspiration to Theo Meier who depicted the people not necessarily in the splendor of beauty and light but emphasized the pure indigenous spirit that is closed to nature. His conceptualisation of this 'Balinese object' was that of a lost ancient kingdom as seen in the present work which portrayed the sitter almost like a relief sculpture on the wall of Borobudur, alluring the onlooker with her demure beauty.