Glass painting, Nagasepaha cultural heritage

By Putu Wirata

SINGARAJA, Bali (JP): The Nagasepaha village in Buleleng, north Bali, is not as fortunate as Ubud in the southern part of Bali, although the village is home to many talented glass- painting artists.

In l927, a wayang puppet master, Jero Dalang Diah, was bold enough to create an experimental artwork -- painting wayang figures on glass, a rare painting medium in that period.

Unlike Ubud or other villages, especially those located near Denpasar, the province's capital, which rapidly grew as the island's major art centers, Nagasepaha remains unheard-of by art lovers.

Only a few know that this remote borough, seven km from Singaraja, is the center of glass-painting arts in Bali.

A number of artists, mostly Jero Dalang Diah's descendants, formed a unique community, which faithfully follows in the footsteps of their ancestor to produce glass paintings.

Inheriting his artistic skills, these artists are now growing as accomplished artists specialized in painting a great variety of wayang figures.

Meanwhile, other artists have also followed the glass-painting technique. The artists, who are also lecturers at the Singaraja's Teachers College, broaden the themes with more modern subjects.

Some of the finest works of glass painting, both traditional and contemporary, were displayed at the Baruna Hotel, Singaraja.

Even though the painting exhibition attracted fewer people and art lovers than those held in various art galleries in Ubud or Denpasar, these unique works were worth seeing.

Hardiman, a glass painter who is famous for his Jalak bird paintings, said, "We want to encourage and motivate the Nagasepaha artists to preserve and to develop their artistic skills, in terms of techniques and themes."

Nagasepaha glass-painting developed with the works of Jero Dalang, who was inspired by Japanese glass-painting art depicting a beautiful woman wearing a Japanese traditional dress, the kimono.

Jero Dalang began by experimenting with glass and various traditional painting materials like mangsi (black ashes from kerosene lamps), and Chinese ink.

His profession as a puppet master made him familiar with every figure in the wayang story.

His themes centered on portraying various wayang characters. His artistic skills developed tremendously and generated a reasonable income for his families.

Jero Dalang also transferred his painting skills to his children and relatives. For years, glass painting was their family business without any effort to develop their artistic creativity or to experiment with other themes and media.

"We were not satisfied if we painted things other than wayang figures," Jero Dalang once explained.

But in the l950s, after a request of a client, Jero Dalang agreed to paint wayang stories with landscapes.

Between the l950s and l960s, Nagasepaha glass paintings were quite popular among rural people, who usually loved wayang stories.

Nyoman Kuatra, a villager in Tabanan, said his father bought a glass paintings depicting the Ramayana epic, in which Hanoman delivers a golden ring belonging to Rama to his beloved wife Sinta, who was locked up by the devil king Rahwana in his palace.

"The painting was beautiful and quite inexpensive. We hung it on the wall, but I don't where it was now," reminisced Nyoman.

Such paintings were comparable to those created by masters in Ubud, Batuan or other parts of Bali, yet, he remembered, many people collected glass paintings for their beauty and uniqueness.

Only time will tell whether Nagasepaha glass painting will become prestigious artworks.

With the emergence of new artists who are devoted to this technique, Nagasepaha glass painting will develop in terms of techniques and themes.

It is encouraging to see a number of young artists, including Samudrawan from the Teachers' College, create contemporary glass paintings with diverse themes, from humorous to abstract.

He still adapts wayang figures but adds modern elements.

His painting illustrates Hanuman riding a motorcycle.

Artist Wayan Sudiarta experimented with expressive abstract painting mixing bold colors in circled forms.

Urban themes are still absent from glass paintings as they were probably rooted from the agrarian Nagasepaha village.

Art lovers on the island of Bali are still waiting for the achievement and artistic endeavors of these glass painters.

The recent exhibition in Singaraja, no matter that it was deemed insignificant by many well-known art observers and art collectors, marked an important step to popularize this art form.

It is worth noting that the art of glass painting does not grow as mass products or touristic arts, like those produced in arts centers like Sukawati, Ubud, Peliatan in Gianyar regency.

Most glass paintings are exclusive works of the artists.