- To understand the influence of technology and outside perspective on
painting in Ubud a brief review is helpful. An excellent source for the
history of Balinese painting can be found at Ubud's Neka Museum, whose
collection is grouped according to chronology and artistic style. The descriptions
below are adapted from Suteja Neka's book, The Development of Painting
in Bali. Neka is a collector of Balinese art and founder of the museum.
- Traditional Kamasan Style Examples
Before the 1920's and 1930's Balinese painting was limited to religious applications, calendars and Wayung Kulit: leather shadow puppet theatre. The subject matter of the paintings were charactarized by serialized stories about religion or classical Hindu-Bhuddist culture. The main use of painting was as adornment for temples and collections by local rulers. The paintings illustrated many scenes of a story on a single, large canvas, giving the pieces a crowded and busy texture, but telling a story from beginning to end.
- This classical, or Kamasan painting style, named for the village where
it originated, utilized muted colors and strong outlines, with figures
painted either in profile or three-quarters view. Materials used were derived
from mineral and vegtable sources, using ground animal bone for whites,
soot additives for grey tones, clay and ground stone for colors. Brushes
were handmade from bamboo, and canvases were usually tree bark, wood, or
locally produced cloth treated with paste and burnished with a shell.
- Ubud Style Examples
By the late 1920's, painting in Bali had met a serious decline, caused in-part by few new commisions for temples and religious ceremonies. However, at this time a few Western artists began to visit and work in Bali. Russian-born painter Walter Spies settled in Ubud and was soon joined by Dutch artist Walter Bonnet. These two artists styles were extremely influential with local artists. Their classical European painting technique, and choice of subject matter was completly new to Bali.
- Together with a local art patron, Cokorda Gede Agung Sukawati, Bonnet
and Spies formed an orgainzation called Pita Maha, meaning "Great
Vitality" or "Strong Detirmination." The goal of this orgainzation
was provide guidance to local painters, help develop painting skills and
develop a market for the artist's work. The organization had nearly 100
members by the end of the 30's.
- The influence of the Pita Maha was significant. Balinese artists began
to turn to local everyday scenes as their subject matter, as opposed to
traditional religious themes. Additionally, the artists began adding depth
and shading in human forms, perspecitve and color to paintings that had
traditionally been composed primarily of earth tones. The paintings now
reflected singular scenes of Balinese life, such as work in the rice fields,
shopping in the marketplace, and bathing.
- Works of this period became known as the Ubud style, once again named
after the village they originated in. Bonnet and Spies brought with them
tempera and water colors. Balinese artists judiciously incorporated these
media into their painting style. Bonnet's drawing style influence is evidenced
in local work by more careful attention to rendering the human form, subjective
lighting of figures, and depth of field incorporated on canvasses. Spies
work was more mystical, influenced in style by Rousseau. Local artists
adapted and interpretated these influences into their own style and took
their inspiration form the lush surrounding land and people.
- In addition to perspective and tool changes, the Pita Maha, with the
tireless effort of Bonnet, staged a series of exhibitions and heavily promoted
local art to collectors throughout the world, thereby making it possible
for some Balinese artists to earn an adequate living from their work. Through
this, paintings began to be produced for their own sake, as an art form
instead of a religious commision, and a large artistic community began
to develop around Ubud. Painters in a nearby village, Batuan, also came
under the influence of the Pita Maha, but retained more of the Classical
Kasaman style. Batuan subject matter turned to everyday life, but still
contained many scenes on a single canvas, more subdued coloring than the
Ubud style, and dense, crowded canvases. The heightened activity and creative
progress in Ubud and Batuan was relatively short-lived due the outbreak
of World War II and Japan's invasion of Bali's. Walter Spies was imprisoned
and died later in a Japanese bombing of a prisoner boat. Bonnet was interned
in Sulawesi, but returned to Bali in the 50's to help found the Ubud Puri
Lukisan museum.
- Young Artists Style Examples
After the war another Dutch-born artist, Arie Smit, became influential in Balinese art. Smit had been working as a topographer for the Dutch army at the outbreak of the war, was captured and interned in Thailand, After the war's end Smit became an Indonesian citizen and taught painting in Bandung where he worked with UNESCO Children's Art program.
- Relocating to Ubud in 1956, Arie opened his studio to local children
and supplied them with whatever art supplies he could acquire. With his
encouragement a new style of naive art quickly caught on, which can be
seen in the work of his first pupil, I Nyoman Cakra. The topics of the
painting were once again scenes of typical Balinese life, but this time
rendered in bright colors and strong graphic style. The students were encouraged
to express themselves freely and many of the paintings do not reflect colors
found in nature, but rather inspired only by the painters imagination.
The Young Artists style experienced widespread development around Ubud,
and is a staple of galleries throughout the region today.
- Academic Artists Examples
Acedemic Artists This group of paintings is usually noted by the artist's formal training, both in Indonesia or abroad. The paintings include a variety of painting techniques and styles, but recieve their inspiration form Balinese culture or nature, both historical and contemporary. These paintings cover a wide range of styles from documentary to abstact, and utilize all forms of materials.
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© (1998) James Waldron Design -- Waldron@interport.net