Return from Fishing

The Return from Fishing painting can be said to be part of Hendra’s biography. It turned out that as a child Hendra enjoyed walking along the river to look for fish. He developed a deep admiration for the small fish with their array of extraordinary colors.

As a teenager he went fishing, and fried the fish that he caught. During this adventurous time he often saw a man (a father) fishing with his son. While fishing, the father seemed to say: “If we work patiently, nature will provide its bounty.”

This painting is interesting to discuss from the artistic aspect. Observers say that Hendra was an impressionist painter. That is, he revealed everything through fleeting impressions.

So that which appears on the canvas are mere markings, which are given the task of explaining the story behind the scenes. There are also those who call him an expressionist, because his paintings often resemble a stage on which his emotions, feelings and his low moods play out.

Hendra did not mind being described in these terms. However, he narrowed it all down with his declaration: “I am actually a realist.”

Heading home from Fishing confirms what he stated. This painting clearly describes a moment that really happened, a moment being repeated in the lives of the fishermen, every day.

In other words, through this painting Hendra has positioned himself as a chronicler of reality.