'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.