Balinese modernism propelled by noted European artists

UBUD, Bali (JP): Development in painting is not immune from outside influences.

Balinese paintings began to absorb foreign influences in the 1920s, with the arrival of Western artists, photographers, musicians, sculptors and anthropologists.

Visiting Bali between the l920s and l930s was the privilege of a few people, often with discerning tastes. In the 1920s, some Western artists started to live on the island and build their own studios.

Among these artists were German painter Walter Spies and Dutch artist Rudolf Bonnet, who introduced modern materials and painting techniques and the concept of free expression as opposed to the tradition of working within a set of cultural confines.

Spies and Bonnet urged local artists to use broader themes, and encouraged them to paint. These Balinese artists began to paint their own impressions and experiences and portrayed them in varied and masterly ways.

Needless to say, although themes of daily life and rituals were present in Kamasan paintings, the new works created in Ubud were singular compositions free of religious and ceremonial values. Although the paintings were innovative, the beauty of the lines and the strength of the style and focus clearly showed a Balinese exuberance and orientation, partly due to the fact that the artists did not abandon the traditional painting methods which they had already mastered.

From their talented hands came paintings showing farmers, rice fields, marketplaces, religious ceremonies, musicians, dancers and so forth.

At the peak of this period, in l936, over 250 artists were producing works of high quality, though some were more productive than the others.

During that period, there were accomplished Balinese artists such as Ida Bagus Kemben (1897-1952), Tjokorda Oka Gambir (1893- 1972), Gusti Nyoman Lempad (1862-1978), Anak Agung Gede Sobrat (born in l911) and Gusti Ketut Kobot (born in l917), who previously painted in the style of wayang puppet.

The works of artists of this period are currently on display at Museum Puri Lukisan in Ubud, Bali, through Nov. 30, in an exhibition theme Magic and Modernism.

Leo Haks, the exhibition's guest curator, said during the opening ceremony on Sept. 25 that the main objective of this exhibition was to display works of this period where to many it is relatively unknowns, especially the work of the Sanur artists.

The exhibition serves to give recognition to the artists whose work have become all but forgotten and stored in museum archives.

The problem with the documentation of the works of these artists was a matter of individualization. The artists of the l930s rarely signed their works, making it difficult to record them accurately.

Some of the finest examples of Balinese modernism belong to Museum Puri Lukisan, Bali, the Documentation Center, Bali, Museum Sana Budaya, Yogyakarta, and some private collectors.

The exhibition displays 72 paintings from the period 1928 to 1942 representing the villages of Bali's three main painting centers: Ubud, Batuan and Sanur. (raw)