At the age of 70, Hans Snel paints in abstract style

By Intan Petersen

UBUD, Bali (JP): Ubud in January. The frangipani trees in the garden of a small hotel and restaurant sway harmoniously under the force of the wind and rain. The small white petals fall and make a floral carpet on the green grass.

"What a pity," says a man, "if only they could hold on, the women could pick the fresh flowers for their offerings."

The man, the proprietor of Siti Bungalows and Hans Snel's Garden Restaurant, sits silent -- one with the rain.

Hans Snel is a Dutch painter who has lived in Bali for the past 45 years. Snel is best known for his figurative paintings which were bought by collectors at exorbitant prices. Over the past three years, however, he has radically changed his style. Now, at the age of 70, he paints in an abstract style.

"I no longer actively paint," he said. "Apart from the fact that I am growing old, I'd rather help in managing Siti Bungalows and Hans Snel's Restaurant with my wife, Made Siti."

"I have lived for 50 years in Indonesia, and I have only returned three times to the Netherlands," he said.

Snel's duty is to make guests feel at home in Ubud, a task that suites him. His decades of experience in Bali allows his guests to hear first-hand stories about Bali.

Ubud and Bali are part of his life. He fluently describes the development in Bali, particularly Ubud, from the introduction of electricity in 1975 in Ubud to gossip about the price of land in the square being Rp 150 million an are. He is surprised at the rapid development of hotels and restaurants in Ubud.

"My wife is actually the one who works hard for this hotel and restaurant," he said.

"I drink all the profits," Snel said, taking a gulp from his beer.

"Hans Snel's Restaurant was the third restaurant in Ubud," he said.

Ubud's first restaurant is called Mutiara, meaning pearl, then came Murni, meaning pure.

"Our Siti Bungalows and Hans Snel's Garden Restaurant was established in 1978. At that time Ubud was a quiet place. Just compare it with today, there are almost 200 restaurants now.

Splendid

"At the beginning of 1978, we used to receive many guests, friends visiting the gallery and our house, and normally Siti would cook for them. It was these people who later gave us a splendid idea to open a restaurant, as they found Siti's cuisine delightful. We then thought about their idea, then made up our mind to give it a try. Unfortunately, people stopped visiting us after we had opened our restaurant since they had to pay for the meals, instead of having them for free as before," Hans Snel said, laughing.

"I thought of a way to have them come as usual, and I introduced happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. They then came, but 10 minutes before 7 p.m. they would have three bottles of beer simultaneously. That was indeed not thoughtful," he said.

As tourism developed in Ubud, people gradually became familiar with Siti Bungalows and Hans Snel's Restaurant. Snel is the only known painter in Bali to have a gallery attached to his establishment.

Newsweek magazine included his bar in its feature on the best bars in Asia (when?). This was a result of a poll by the readers living in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Manila and Singapore.

Hans Snel's Bar is surrounded by intimate bungalows set in a lovely tropical garden. His guests are diversified, from art lovers and international antique dealers to advertising moguls of Asia who sometimes want to find solitude in Ubud after a tiring business day in Nusa Dua. Most are regulars.

Apparently they love having the painter as their host on the island of the gods.

Snel's passion is hunting for his old paintings, which he regrets having sold. One painting he found in Spain, and another is owned by his friend Didier Hamel.

"Jakarta is a short distance from here, near enough to have a look at Potret Wanita Bali, the painting I love most," said Snel, who came to Indonesia during the war.

"I came here not on my own will, but as a soldier," he explained. He was grateful that the war came to an end. He did not want to go to West Java.

Once a bus conductor and then a typist, Snel, who had painted in Holland, found the mystery of Bali enticing.

He sometimes paints in northern Bali where he owns a house on the beach.

"I don't want anyone to know my hideout. In Ubud, I am always busy with guests. Siti Bungalows and Hans Snel's Restaurant are mostly visited by those who want to see my paintings or just chat with me," he said.

He usually spends the night in his bar sitting not far from the lotus pond in front of his gallery. Here, he leads the conversation from discussing tourism in Ubud and Bali to the latest score of an Ajax Club soccer match in the Dutch League.

The midnight rain thins. Tourists walk faster. Hans Snel seems tired.

"I am so happy to be here," he murmurs. His voice fades away but the frangipani trees continue to sway in the subsiding wind.