Arie Smit

Adrianus Wilhelmus (Arie) Smit was a Dutch painter, born in Zaandam in 1916. He went to the Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten (Academy of Fine Arts) in Rotterdam, where he studied graphic design. In 1938, he joined the the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. In the Dutch East Indies, he worked as a lithographer for the Dutch Topographical service. After the Indonesian Independence in 1949 he chose the Indonesian citizenship. He was invited to Bali by painter Rudolf Bonnet, was inspired by his surroundings, and ended up living and working in- and around Ubud, Bali. He painted the Balinese landscapes, villages and temples with their bright colours. His paintings have been characterized as ‘poems of colour’. Arie’s work was increasingly Expressionist. He was inspired by Signac, Gauguin and Cézanne. He also had a growing number of students; his pupils developed the ‘Young Artists’ style, known for its colourful and naïve style. Arie died in Denpasar, Bali in 2016, three weeks before his 100th birthday.