Le Mayeur Museum a fitting homage to Belgian-born master

By Alpha Savitri

SANUR, Bali (JP): The famous Le Mayeur Museum, located in the Sanur Beach resort area of Bali, every day displays to the public paintings by world-famous painter Jean Le Mayeur de Merpres, as well as personal effects that he left behind.

Born into French nobility in Bruxelles on Feb.9, 1880, Le Mayeur was, in his time, one of the world's famous painters who eloquently reflected the exoticism of Bali island, also known as Paradise on Earth, and its pretty girls on canvas.

Le Mayeur skillfully and artistically recorded chatting or dancing Balinese girls, generally bare-chested, without giving the impression of vulgarity.

In five exhibition halls the museum displays 88 paintings by Le Mayeur, 22 of which are on gunny sacks while the rest are on canvas, cardboard, plywood and paper.

Le Mayeur used gunny sacks for his paintings when Indonesia was occupied by Japan and canvas was too difficult to find. He seemed to be able to make do with whatever came his way. It was on gunny sacks that, during these difficult times, he poured forth his fiery passion for painting.

As a romantic person, Le Mayeur fell deeply in love with Bali, also dubbed the Isle of Deities. He first got acquainted with this island through the films he saw while still in Europe. In 1932 he disembarked at Bali's port of Singaraja in North Bali. From Singaraja he went straight to Denpasar, where he rented a house at Banjar Kelandis.

Actually, he planned to stay in Bali for only eight months. His infatuation with the natural beauty of Bali and, especially, with Ni Pollok, a beautiful local dancer who became his model, however, made him decide to settle on this island.

So in 1935, Le Mayeur, who had seen many a beautiful place the world over, married Ni Pollok. After the marriage, she purchased a plot of land measuring 3,200 square meters somewhere in the Sanur Beach area. It was here that he wanted to build his house. Le Mayeur, also a technical school graduate, designed the house by himself and opted for the traditional Balinese architectural style.

In constructing the house, Le Mayeur was assisted by the famous sculptor, Ida Bagus Made Mas. Progress was made little by little and it was not until 20 years had elapsed since he purchased the land was construction of the house completed. The building, dominated by teak wood, is resplendent with highly graceful and beautiful Balinese engravings.

The hard teak wood in the entire house - windows, doors, cupboards, tables or chairs - has all been engraved, which is a very difficult job indeed. It took six months, for example, to engrave the octagonal table and eight very simple chairs.

Yet, Le Mayeur, who had a host of dreams for the house that he would occupy with his beloved Ni Pollok, was not in the least deterred by difficulty. It was he himself who arranged the positioning of the statues within and without the house. It was also he who arranged the trees, the flowers and the entirely traditional Balinese interior.

The house also has a small pond covered with lotuses, flowers sacred to Hindu believers.

Thanks to this house, Le Mayeur became very close with the community in Sanur. Locals used to call him "Mr Mayor", "mayor" being the local pronunciation of the French sound "mayeur", or "Mr Belgi" with "Belgi" being the local reference to Belgium. Even today many of the locals call Le Mayeur Museum as the Museum of "Mr Belgi".

In 1967, Bahder Djohan, then minister of education, teaching and culture, visited Le Mayeur's house. He not only admired the paintings but expressed deep concern about how the paintings would fare in future, especially considering that Le Mayeur and Ni Pollok were childless.

The minister suggested that the house be turned into a museum displaying Le Mayeur's paintings. Le Mayeur agreed and was even resolved to work harder to ensure that the house would really qualify as an art museum.

This artist died of an illness in May 1958. Ni Pollok died on July 21, 1985. Today, their house and its contents - paintings, equipment and furniture -- are under the local administration's management. It is open every day except Saturday.

When you visit this museum, you will not only savor Le Mayeur's excellent paintings, but also the engraved house, its interior decoration, its furniture (tables, cupboards, chairs) and a Le Mayeur - Ni Pollok gamelan set.

Then you may find it interesting to look at a delightfully- shaped pond which Le Mayeur built next to the museum building. The pond sees peaceful proliferation of fish and lotuses, and is home to a bust of Le Mayeur made by I Made Panti.

Ni Pollok had this bust made after the death of her husband. She loved her him deeply and would gaze at the bust when she was overwhelmed by longing for her dead husband. She would give offerings -- flowers and food -- to the bust twice a day.

On the lower part of the bust Pollok inscribed: In Loving Memory of AJ Le Mayeur De Merpres. Born on February 9, 1880, in Bruxelles (Belgium). Arrived in Bali 1932. Died in peace n March 31, 1958, in Bruxelles (Belgium).

It is really a shame that his paintings, as the most precious legacy of Le Mayeur, are mostly in a miserable condition. The colors in many of the paintings have faded. The coastal air of Sanur, unfortunately, seems unfavorable to Le Mayeur's most important legacy.