Charm of simple Bali paintings on display

By Aendra H. Medita

JAKARTA (JP): Balinese art is indeed a source of admiration. It develops like continuously flowing water. The paintings are rich in contemplation. They do not just offer patterns and forms; they provide a fresh impression of and a new discourse on the manifestation of a tribute to what takes place in the painters' environment as well as in the public space and dynamism. It is this quality that presents itself in the strength of the Balinese paintings now being displayed at Bentara Budaya Jakarta, in an exhibition running from Sept. 15 through to Oct. 1.

The fifty-eight Balinese painters in the exhibition display works involving a variety of themes and motifs: nature, villages, traditional rites, rice harvests, shadow puppet shows, the animal kingdom and so forth. Over 170 paintings now occupy the exhibition rooms on two floors of the building. The strong point of all these paintings is their diversity, which demonstrates the characteristics of each painter without losing any of the strong Balinese esthetic value.

The symbols that the painters put into their works bring forth their vigor and vitality. Other forms imply sublimity rooted in a profound aura so that the works can strongly voice the essence the painters wish to feature in their paintings.

The painters come from Batuan, Kamasan, Pangosekan, Sanur, Pelitan and Ubud. In his introduction to the Balinese Painters exhibition, Ipong Purnama Sidhi, chairman of BBJ's management, writes that the presence of these painters in the exhibition may be viewed as the realization of a big dream to present all art forces and potentials in the post-Pita Maha period beyond academic works.

So, the exhibition is an obvious endeavor to expose the development of Balinese art in the period after the era of Pita Maha, a grand image built up by world-renowned painters like Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet and Cokrada Gde Agung Sukowati and recorded as a special entry in the annals of Balinese art. It was an era that produced such unforgettable names in Balinese painting as Ida Bagus Made Poleng and Anak Agung Gede Sobrat.

The most important impression that one will take away from the ongoing exhibition is that the simplicity of these Balinese paintings is charmingly admirable, in addition, of course, to the elements of beauty, exoticism and satirical humor as well as the shocking power of forms and uniqueness frequently present in these paintings.

Take, for example, the works of I Wayan Asta: Kera Main Basket (Monkeys Playing Basketball), Kera Main Golf (Monkeys Playing Golf) and Konser Kera (Monkeys' Concert). Clearly showing that the painter would like to say a lot of things, the paintings have a fresh modernist theme, a satire that Asta has packaged in his esthetics. Asta must admit, though, that his Balinese-style painting technique is still strongly visible so that the dominant images in his paintings are still within the uniquely Balinese context. This is especially the case with his dynamic lines which are based on his naturally experienced journeys.

The sublime quality of other works is seen in I Made Tubuh's painting, Pemutaran Mendera Giri I and II (Showing of Mendera Giri I and II), which dwells on a sharply explored ritual theme and brings forth an essential wisdom and even power short of simplicity. The same goes for Baratayudha and Cerita Calonarang (Calonarang Tale) by I Made Djata. Meanwhile, three painters, I Ketut Soki, I Wayan Sinteg and I Made Tjokra, who is a student of Arie Smit, have presented Bali in the metaphorical Balinese nature. Their paintings, such as Panen Padi (Rice Harvest), are rich in contrasting colors and therefore lend greater prominence to the beautiful nature of Bali.

Another painter, I Dewa Putu Mokoh, thanks to his adventures, has based his works on an everyday perspective. Mokoh presents slightly naive decorative patterns as well as unique figures like in his Penyanyi Karaoke (Karaoke singer). In this painting he slightly reproaches the coquettishness of a singer by showing her in her garish dress and highlighting her flirtatious style. Then there are Nyoman Daging and Nyoman Kayun, who are both strong at magical values and daily life. Some paintings show punchy shadow puppet patterns, these being the works of, among others, Kondra, Ni Made Suciarmi and a few others.

This exhibition is indeed a tribute which may depict a significant maturity in the post-Pita-Maha period. It is both a tribute and a space of some importance in the history of art in Bali, in particular, and in Indonesia, in general. The paintings may be taken as a mirror reflecting the condition of both Bali and Indonesia, a signal that the depictions or symbols in these works do not simply present themselves but that they produce constructive images. It is not wrong, therefore, to consider Balinese art as an inexhaustible spring, which will gush forth water as long as the world exists.