On The Occasion Of The 100Th Anniversary Of Javanese Painter Raden Saleh'S Birth, The Well-Known Journalist Noto Soeroto Wrote In 1914: “My Wish Would Be That The 100Th Anniversary Of Raden Saleh'S Birth Should Not Pass By Unnoticed And Forgotten.” He Hoped For An Exhibition Of Raden Saleh'S Works, Or That Reproductions Of His Pictures And Drawings Would Be Published. However, Another Hundred Years Were To Pass Before Noto Soeroto'S Wish Was Fulfilled. On The Threshold Of The 200Th Anniversary Of Raden Saleh'S Birth, An Exhibition Of His Paintings And Drawings Was Organized In Jakarta And A Book Was Produced. This Book, Which Depicts The Life And Work Of This Javanese Pioneer Of Modern Painting, Accompanies The Exhibition And Indeed Extends Well Beyond It. An Artist'S Work Must Be Viewed In The Context Of His Or Her Time And Intellectual Environment. The Book Therefore Attempts To Describe Raden Saleh'S Life Against The Respective Historical And Situational Backdrops. The Javanese World From Which He Came Is Portrayed, As Are The Various European Circumstances In Which He Found Himself And The Social And Cultural Reality Of The Even Stronger Colonial State Into Which Raden Saleh Had To Integrate Himself Upon His Return From Europe. Raden Saleh Was A Master Of Adaptation, Repeatedly Managing To Seize His Opportunities In The Colony With A Mixture Of Skill And Good Fortune. Nonetheless, He Was Ultimately Doomed To Failure As A Result Of The Basic Conflict Underlying Colonial Javanese Society - Its Inherent Racism. Within This Tragic Framework He Led A Spectacular Life; As A Painter, As A Scholar, As A Reformer Of Art Education, As A Collector And Preserver, And Much More Besides. This Book Is Not Intended To Be A Hermetically Sealed Textbook But Wishes To Tell The Stories Of His Life And His Pictures In An Informal Collection Of Essays. It Is Quite Possible To Jump From One Section To Another Without Entirely Losing Track Of The Overall Narrative. Frequently, One Will Come Across A Story That Has Never Been Told Before. Illustrations And Pictures Are Selected In Much The Same Way: No Attempt Has Been Made To Present An Exhaustive List Of Saleh'S Works, Nor To Achieve Any Other Form Of Completeness. Ultimately, However, We Do Have A Book Here Which Invokes The Work And Life Of Raden Saleh Like No Other Before It.