John van der Sterren was born in 1938 in Sukabumi, West Java. His family immigrated to New Zealand after World War II, where he was educated at Rongotai College. He worked in the advertising industry for 25 years before becoming a technical advisor for his company's international associates in Indonesia. It was there that he met Didier Hamel, who encouraged him to pursue art. He became a major player in the Indonesian art scene, known for his landscape and portrait paintings in a Fauvist style using oil paints. He sketched on site in charcoal and pen and ink, using the sketches as inspiration in his studio. His strong drawing formed the basis of his work, which he painted in broad, strong colors in the European tradition. He has painted in ...