JP/18/KAMASA

Aging painter keeps Kamasan style alive

Tri Vivi Suryani Contributor/Denpasar

Ni Made Suciarmi, one of the oldest female painters in Banjar Sangging, Kamasan village, Klungkung, east Bali, works meticulously on a canvas, drawing two-dimensional wayang shadow puppet figures in a painting style known as Kamasan.

Her home has become a kind of art gallery and workshop for dozens of students, both locally and from overseas.

Banjar Sangging, a few kilometers south of the central intersection in Klungkung, has been a haven for painters who worked by appointment to the then Puri Klungkung Royal family.

The distinguished artists produce paintings, banners, flags and wall hangings for a variety of ritual and traditional ceremonies, collectively known as work produced in the Kamasan painting style.

This village, whose hundreds of residents gained their artistic talent from their ancestors, has faithfully preserved the centuries-old Kamasan style, despite a flood of external artistic influences.

Kamasan paintings, especially lower-quality examples, are now sold in every art market and gallery. However, the most refined examples can still be viewed on the ceilings of the Kerta Gosa building, part of Klungkung Palace.

The Kamasan style

In a Kamasan painting, the initial line drawing is made in black Chinese ink, the most important phase to the Balinese, and this is produced by the master. Subsequent processes, including coloring, are usually passed on to close members of the family or assistants.

The subjects of the paintings are mostly derived from wayang stories taken from the famous Indian Mahabharata and Ramayana epics.

Suciarmi is a rarity: She is one of few female painters to have mastered the Kamasan style.

While her male colleagues enjoyed freedom and acceptance from a patriarchal Balinese society, Suciarmi had to fight for her place in the male-dominated Balinese art world.

Born in October, 1932, Suciarmi faced difficulties initially. Painting was considered taboo for a Balinese woman. There was no way that a woman could pursue a career in the art world as she was supposed to confine herself to domestic tasks such as taking care of children, breeding cattle and chickens and doing other household cores.

Unable to resist her desire to paint, the young Suciarmi went to the backyard of her family home and began drawing her favorite figures from wayang stories on the ground.

"That was my first canvas," she said. Nobody in the family knew that Suciarmi possessed extraordinary painting skills, comparable to those of male painters in the village.

"I was frightened that if my parents found out, they would get so angry at me," she said. Despite her parents' objections, Suciarmi continued to draw.

She kept listening to the stories told by her uncle Nyoman Mireg, a puppetmaster. She was always astonished by the beautiful wayang figures used by her uncle.

Nevertheless, being born to a well-educated and art-conscious family did not automatically open doors for her into the art world.

Her father, Ketut Sulaya, was a teacher, painter, and an expert on lontar palm inscriptions, while her mother, Made Rata, was a traditional textile weaver.

For the Balinese, lontar inscriptions are regarded as the main sources of knowledge in the field of religion, customary law, culture and tradition, literature, medicine, social regulations and other matters.

Despite her father's expertise in the field, Suciarmi, like other Balinese women, was not allowed to learn to read lontar.

Being unable to learn lontar did not discourage young Suciarmi. She went to her puppetmaster uncle, and learned the philosophy of wayang stories and figures from him.

Astonishing drawing skill

When she had reached the third grade at school, her teacher Ketut Rubug, a master painter, noticed her remarkable drawing skill. He was amazed by a near-perfect painting titled Arjuna Bertapa, (Meditating Arjuna). The teacher asked Suciarmi's parents to allow their talented daughter to pursue a career as a painter.

Suciarmi later joined the art community. Painting was her utmost desire. As a devout Hindu, Suciarmi always prayed for the blessing of the Almighty before she drew a line on her canvas.

"One day, I forgot to pray, I could not even remember the objects that had previously come into my mind. They were all gone," Suciarmi recalled.

Young Suciarmi was a multitalented girl. In addition to her devotion to painting, she was also an accomplished traditional Balinese dancer, silver carver and maker of offerings. leave gap

With her artistic talents, Suciarmi survived the hardest period between the l940s-50s during the Japanese occupation and Independence period.

During the Japanese occupation period, Kamasan painters suffered the most. They stopped producing art pieces since no materials were available at that time.

In order to survive, Suciarmi frequently performed at Puri Klungkung. She mesmerized royal families and their guests with her dancing skills. Suciarmi also supported her husband, I Made Lemon, in producing silver bowls and other silver utensils.

She is renowned also as a master in carving.

After Indonesia gained its independence, Suciarmi continued painting. Her first exhibition was held during the opening of Bali Art Center in Denpasar in 1975. At that time, Bali had only a few female painters and her work caught the attention of the audience.

She flourished in the art world. Collectors and art-lovers began to eye her distinguished works. Through her art, Suciarmi was able to travel the world displaying her paintings in several galleries and art centers in the United States, Germany, Australia, Canada and Singapore.

Keeping Kamasan alive

As she is aging now, Suciarmi finds herself unable to fully dedicate her time to painting. "I usually start working at 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. I am old now and I am running out of energy," she said.

It takes her a month to finish a 125 cm by 120 cm painting, something she previously finished in around one or two weeks.

Among her favorite works is Sira Panji Amalat Rasmin, a painting she made while looking after her youngest children.

"Many collectors wanted to buy this but I simply made a copy of it rather than sell the original. It was a memorable work for us," she smiled.

"I'm not ambitious now. I work for fun and for my spiritual well-being. If I can sell a painting, the money will go to my grandchildren," she laughed happily.

Suciarmi is now the happy mother of six adult children who have already given her dozens of grandchildren.

Her six children Putu Arniti, Made Ardanta, Nyoman Yulinarmi, Ni Ketut Manik, Ni Wayan Mariani and I Made Gunadi have already pursued their own careers. Nobody followed in their mother's footsteps.

"My fourth daughter, Ni Ketut Manik, had a similar talent and exhibited some of her work. In the end, however, she preferred to become a policewoman," Suciarmi said.

"I have never ask my children to follow me. They have their own choices and are now happy with their lives. I am very proud of that," she smiled.

Suciarmi feels secure because many members of her extended family are now in the painting business, which means that the Kamasan style will remain alive and regeneration has occurred naturally and smoothly.