Kamasan painting provide livelihood for local people

Kamasan painting provide livelihood for local people

Tri Vivi Suryani, Contributor, Klungkung, East Bali

Art and religion, for the Balinese, are inseparable from life.
Painting, dance, music and decorative arts were previously
created for religious purposes.

The local's sense of beauty and artistic flair is obvious --
great palaces with stone carvings or amazing paintings and
temples adorned with sculptures of Hindu deities are scattered
across the island.

A tremendous range of visual art styles flourish throughout
Bali. Each area has its own distinctive style of painting or
sculpture.

For example, Ubud is well known for the elaborate and refined
Batuan and Pengosekan styles, with famous masters like Ketut
Gelgel and I Gusti Nyoman Lempad. But, an analysis of Balinese
painting will inevitably dwell on the Klungkung area -- once
Bali's most prominent royal kingdom -- and believed to be the
root of all Balinese painting styles.

Most Balinese painting styles have roots in the artistic
tradition of the Javanese Hindu migrants who arrived at the
island from Majapahit Kingdom in East Java between the 15th and
16th century. Many artisans, sculptors, as well as scholars,
sought refugee in Bali when the great Hindu kingdom fell to
Islamic power. Most are believed to have settled in Klungkung,
some 75 kilometers east of Denpasar.

The arrival of artists in the village was at the time of the
golden age of the Balinese royal kingdom of Dalem Waturenggong in
Gelgel (Klungkung). The migrant artisans were often commissioned
by the Balinese royal family.

King Waturenggong, asked artists to paint wayang (puppet)
characters in styles heavily influenced by the art of Majapahit,
most from the Hindu epic of Mahabharata and Ramayana .

Similar styles are evident in stone carvings found in East
Javanese temples.

Later, the style evolved into the traditional painting of Bali
-- as seen in panels and on the ceilings of royal houses, such as
in Bale Kertagosa, the Hall of Justice building in Klungkung,
East Bali. Here, the artist painted a wayang character. The King
was astonished at the beauty of the painting. He later called the
painter, Mahudara, the master painter.

The King later commissioned the artist to decorate temples,
grand palaces and puri (palaces) throughout the island.

Mahudara was later declared to be the pioneer of the Kamasan
painting style, which has survived for more than 400 years.

His predecessors preserved and developed the two-dimensional
Wayang painting and the Kamasan village is known as the last
stronghold of this style. Many people in the village devote their
lives to nurturing the tradition.

In Banjar the customary village of Sanging, for instance, a
lot of people work as traditional artists.

However, there has been a significant shift in the concept of
art here. In the past, Balinese artists created art out of a
social or religious obligation -- often part of the construction
of temples or palaces. Nowadays, artistic practices are viewed as
more profane or commercial.

Many villagers simply see art as a way to make a living.

Take Ketut Danti, a native of Banjar Sanging. She admitted
that many people in Banjar are now living solely from selling
Kamasan style painting to visitors, mostly foreign tourists.

Ketut said she learned how to paint as a teenager by watching
her parents and neighbors. Firstly, she learned how to mix colors
and later, how to paint wayang figures and the backdrop of the
paintings.

"There are some changes in the way people produce the
paintings," the 50-year old Ketut lamented.

In the past, people used natural coloring materials and
traditional processes. Instead of painting on canvas, artists
painted on pieces of wood or wooden panels. "Now, we frequently
use poster paint on canvas, or other media such as bamboo,
coconut shells, textiles, even egg shells... and on fruits such
as pumpkins," she said.

Local artists are influenced by the rapid changes in
technology. The increasing demand for Balinese handicrafts, art
works and accessories has pushed local artists to become more
creative and to diversify their skills beyond painting.

Many banjar (community centers) in Kamasan village have been
transformed into art centers. Scores of shops offer paintings,
handicrafts and other souvenirs.

"In the past, we sold our products at popular tourist spots
like Bedugul, Tanah Lot in Tabanan, Kuta and Sanur beaches and
other places. Now, we have set up our own shops here in the
village, because many visitors and their guides have realized
that this is the place to buy quality Kamasan paintings, " said
Ketut.