'Kamasan' painters preserve Bali's art

'Kamasan' painters preserve Bali's art

By Putu Wirata

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Traces of the Klungkung kingdom heyday
300 years ago can be found in Kamasan village in Klungkung
regency, about 45 kilometers east of here.

The village inherits the kingdom's tradition of painting
wayang (puppets). The art is known as Wayang Kamasan painting.

While in the past, the artists' patrons were kings and
aristocrats, now the patrons are mainly foreign tourists.
Balinese Hindus also buy the artwork for decorating their places
of worship or houses.

"No family ritual is complete without the (Wayang Kamasan)
painting," says Rai Sulastra, 50, a resident of Kusamba
Klungkung.

The painting on a piece of cloth is usually put up on the
ceiling of a place of worship during a religious ritual. The
artwork is seen to create an atmosphere of sacredness and
esthetics at the same time.

Significant Kamasan paintings are found in Kertha Gosha,
Klungkung. Kertha Gosha is a building that was used as a court
house by the king of Klungkung. Characterized by its open
structure and surrounded by a pond, it is located near the palace
in the heart of Smarapura. Kertha Gosha's roof is decorated with
ancient Kamasan paintings.

Stories have it that the paintings were drawn by a man named
Mahudara in the 17th century. The artwork was restored after
Klungkung was devastated by a war against Dutch colonial troops
in 1906.

The theme of the narrations accompanying the drawings are the
classic epics of Mahabharata, Ramayana, Panji and the local
mythology Palelindon which concerns an earthquake.

The art has become an income source for Kamasan villagers who
maintain the classical painting style. The materials and
equipment consist of clay, collected from Nusa Penida Island,
vegetable dyes and ink. The villagers have not the slightest
intention to change the painting style.

"We are obliged to preserve the cultural heritage," says
Nyoman Mandra, 54, a painter who claims to be a descendant of
Mahudara. "It is not because painting is our livelihood but
because the artwork is still used to decorate places of worship."

To back up his commitment, Mandra has opened a free course on
Kamasan painting. He built the training center and he teaches
there.

"The money to run the course came from a philanthropist," he
said, refusing to name the donator, but saying the fund is enough
to make available basic necessities like stationery.

Hundreds of people have taken part in the courses. "Some have
even exhibited their works in Germany with me."

Mandra is a professional artist who uses different media:
canvas for decorative paintings, bamboo for etching, coconut
shell and bamboo cone hats. The works are sold as souvenirs.
Maybe because the village is far from popular tourist resorts,
Kamasan artwork is relatively cheap -- starting prices begin at
Rp 50,000.

But first class artists like Mandra and Mangku Mura sell their
works for no less than Rp 1 million.

"I rarely sell my works now. I intend to store them in the
hope that I can build a modest museum that I can bequeath to my
offspring," Mandra says.

Mandra now has a collection of 50 of his own works. He also
collects old Kamasan paintings he hangs side by side with his own
works.

Rudolf Bonnet, a German painter living in Bali in the 1930s,
who studied Kamasan paintings, never suggested the style was
innovative as he did with Ubud artists in Pita Maha.

Ubud artists have developed both themes and techniques. They
have shifted from the old mythological themes with their non-
perspective techniques to daily life with new perspectives and
new materials.

On the contrary, Kamasan artists are proud of their classic
style and are not interested in innovation.

Unlike the Kamasan painters, Nyoman Gunarsa, a Balinese
painter born in Banjar Sanda near Kamasan, and a graduate of the
Indonesian Arts Institute of Yogyakarta, is trying to conceive
new directions for his Kamasan creations.

His work is inspired by Wayang Kamasan. His figures are more
expressive. Wayang characters like Bima, Arjuna and goddesses are
drawn vigorously. His innovations have made him one of
Indonesia's leading artists.

He has built the Nyoman Gunarsa Classical Painting Museum
where he collects a number of classical Kamasan pieces made on
tree bark and canvas.

"I keep these Kamasan paintings as masterpieces of past
glory," Gunarsa says.

Kamasan paintings on tree bark are also on display at other
museums such as Puri Lukisan Museum, Neka Museum and Agung Rai
Museum -- all of which are in Ubud.