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

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.