artist name carved on lower right
wood carving
55 x 30 x 35 cm
In this work, Two Thinkers, Sunarso carves two crouched figures pressed closely together, their faces buried in their hands. The intertwined bodies evoke shared anguish and compassion, while the warm tone and organic grain of the wood lend intimacy and tenderness that contrast with the heaviness of their emotion. The compact form and earth-bound posture suggest the burden of grief, deep thought, or anguish. Sunarso captures the quiet dignity of endurance, transforming sorrow into a universal expression of empathy and solidarity. The sculpture’s tactile surface and modest scale draw the viewer inward, inviting contemplation rather than awe.
This intimate portrayal of human suffering resonates with Auguste Rodin’s Monument to The Burghers of Calais (1889), which also rejects traditional heroic representation. Like Rodin, Sunarso conveys emotional truth through body language. Yet while Rodin monumentalises public sacrifice in cold bronze, Sunarso’s use of warm wood and close composition internalises the experience of pain, grounding it in shared humanity. Both artists humanise suffering, but where Rodin’s figures stand as a civic memorial, Sunarso’s wooden sculpture becomes an introspective reflection on endurance, resilience, and compassion.
Lot location
Jakarta
