Reflections on the golden Balinese 'barong'<\/p>\n
By Amir Sidharta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The importance of numerology often gets
\nexaggerated around anniversary celebrations, which is especially
\ntrue about the golden one Indonesia is celebrating this year.
\nHowever, Galeri Santi has managed to package quite a charming
\nexhibit around the theme of numbers by presenting paintings of
\n\"golden\" barong by 17 artists.<\/p>\n
Each painter has his own approach to depicting the barong, a
\nmythical Balinese creature believed to have been the \"prototype\"
\nof the Chinese barong-sai lion-snake. Some of the artists use the
\nbarong as an interesting decorative motif filled with rich and
\ncolorful patterns. Others, especially those who are Balinese or
\nhave lived in Bali for an extended period, attempt to portray the
\nnuances around the barong dance. Meanwhile most of the alumni
\nfrom the Bandung Institute of Technology, try to depict the
\nBarong as an expressive exercise.<\/p>\n
Embellished with vivacious ceremonial dress, with a head dress
\nas resplendent as other Balinese dance characters, the barong
\nindeed becomes a quintessential icon worthy of representation.
\nPainters such as Soekanto, Rudy Pranadjaya and Gunawan Handjaya
\npresent naturalistic and figurative renditions of the barong.<\/p>\n
Using a different approach, Suparto's highly stylized and
\ndecorative barong is rather awkwardly proportioned and clumsily
\ndepicted. Juni A. Wulandari's painting is done in a naive style,
\nmost probably influenced by Faisal and other Yogyakarta artists.<\/p>\n
Paintings in the exhibit done by Balinese artist provide an
\ninteresting insight into the lively celebrations which include
\nthe barong. Nyoman Meja's Children Performing the Barong seems to
\npresent his joyful memories of the fun and games of performing
\nthe barong bangkal with his friends around the time of Galungan
\nKuningan festivals celebrated every 210 days. Each child took a
\nturn putting on the mask of the pig creature and chasing the
\nother kids. Fear mixes with the fun of being chased.<\/p>\n
The colors and the swift dynamic lines Nyoman Gunarsa uses in
\nhis paintings express his emotions as much as describe his
\nperception. While most of his renderings are done in his cursive
\npastels or brushstrokes typical of his current works, one
\ndescriptive work distinguished itself from the rest. Its value,
\nhowever, seems to lie more in its age than its artistic merit.<\/p>\n
Trance<\/p>\n
Bathed in a soft ambient light, the figures in Yadi K's series
\nof paintings, appear to be in a trance, moving slowly and
\ndeliberately. Although not Balinese, Yadi has lived in Bali for
\nmany years and knows the region well enough to be able to depict
\nenchanting impressions of the performance of the \"Barong and
\nRejang at Pura Samuan Tiga\" in Pejeng, near Ubud.<\/p>\n
Other artists portray the barong as a medium of expression.
\nThe barong figures presented by Indonesian masters Popo Iskandar
\nand Srihadi Sudarsono are clearly not among the strongest of
\ntheir works.<\/p>\n
Srihadi's strength is obviously not in painting the barong. In
\none work he presents the Barong Luh, in the other the Barong
\nLandung. Entirely different from the familiar Barong Ket lion,
\nthis type of barong consists of a fair female and a dark male
\ncounterpart, reminiscent of Jakarta's ondel-ondel (giant
\ntraditional Betawi dolls). The tall figures appear as a
\ndistinguished couple in this vertical painting.<\/p>\n
His quietly powerful portrayal of the Barong Lembu, the barong
\nof the sacred Nandini (the vehicle of Goddes Shiva), retains a
\ncertain latent dynamism, although neither of the paintings
\npossess the splendor evident in most of his works.<\/p>\n
Efficiency<\/p>\n
Popo Iskandar's recent paintings of the barong are also far
\nfrom being his strongest. Whereas this master used to portray his
\nsubjects with an amazing efficiency of bold and expressive
\nstrokes of colors, his recent paintings are rendered with an
\nexcessive or gratuitous series of brushstrokes. Perhaps no longer
\nconfident in his minimalist approach, his current paintings
\nappear terribly confused and unattractive. This is unfortunate
\nconsidering that his painting permanently exhibited at the Neka
\nMuseum in Sanggingan, Ubud, is one of the most striking
\nrenditions of the barong.<\/p>\n
The paintings of the sculptor Sunaryo assume the energy once
\npresent in Popo's pieces. Using economic strokes, Sunaryo is able
\nto show incredibly powerful representations of the mythical
\ncreature, strikingly reminiscent of the work of the older artist
\nPopo. Nonetheless, unlike Popo's softer use of the curvilinear,
\nSunaryo's works are less fluid but much bolder.<\/p>\n
Which is better -- softer or bolder, static or dynamic --
\ndepends on personal preferences, but the exhibition's most static
\ndepiction is its most interesting. Barong of the Global Era by
\nDede is a portrait of the Barong Ket. Nothing is terribly
\nexciting about the artist's realistic painting technique, except
\nthat the motionless mask blends with brown packaging material,
\nwhich include vaguely familiar logos of travel agencies and
\nshipping companies. It is clearly intended to comment on tourism
\nin Bali.<\/p>\n
Saving the best for last, the small piece by the maestro
\nAffandi is by far the most impressive painting in the show. It
\ndepicts the Melasti (purification), where a procession, including
\nthe barong, descend to the sea to be purified. Heading toward the
\ndarkness beyond, the lavish barong represents the artist's own
\njourney, a kind of spiritual exploration.<\/p>\n
The golden barong theme makes the exhibition quite pleasant. A
\ngood number of the artists have managed to create sound works
\naround the popular barong. However viewers are left wondering
\nwhat significance the barong has for Indonesian Independence.
\nCritic Agus Dermawan T. sees the barong as a symbol of the
\nvictory of rectitude. In any event, Dirgahayu.<\/p>",
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