Reflections on the golden Balinese 'barong'

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): The importance of numerology often gets exaggerated around anniversary celebrations, which is especially true about the golden one Indonesia is celebrating this year. However, Galeri Santi has managed to package quite a charming exhibit around the theme of numbers by presenting paintings of "golden" barong by 17 artists.

Each painter has his own approach to depicting the barong, a mythical Balinese creature believed to have been the "prototype" of the Chinese barong-sai lion-snake. Some of the artists use the barong as an interesting decorative motif filled with rich and colorful patterns. Others, especially those who are Balinese or have lived in Bali for an extended period, attempt to portray the nuances around the barong dance. Meanwhile most of the alumni from the Bandung Institute of Technology, try to depict the Barong as an expressive exercise.

Embellished with vivacious ceremonial dress, with a head dress as resplendent as other Balinese dance characters, the barong indeed becomes a quintessential icon worthy of representation. Painters such as Soekanto, Rudy Pranadjaya and Gunawan Handjaya present naturalistic and figurative renditions of the barong.

Using a different approach, Suparto's highly stylized and decorative barong is rather awkwardly proportioned and clumsily depicted. Juni A. Wulandari's painting is done in a naive style, most probably influenced by Faisal and other Yogyakarta artists.

Paintings in the exhibit done by Balinese artist provide an interesting insight into the lively celebrations which include the barong. Nyoman Meja's Children Performing the Barong seems to present his joyful memories of the fun and games of performing the barong bangkal with his friends around the time of Galungan Kuningan festivals celebrated every 210 days. Each child took a turn putting on the mask of the pig creature and chasing the other kids. Fear mixes with the fun of being chased.

The colors and the swift dynamic lines Nyoman Gunarsa uses in his paintings express his emotions as much as describe his perception. While most of his renderings are done in his cursive pastels or brushstrokes typical of his current works, one descriptive work distinguished itself from the rest. Its value, however, seems to lie more in its age than its artistic merit.

Trance

Bathed in a soft ambient light, the figures in Yadi K's series of paintings, appear to be in a trance, moving slowly and deliberately. Although not Balinese, Yadi has lived in Bali for many years and knows the region well enough to be able to depict enchanting impressions of the performance of the "Barong and Rejang at Pura Samuan Tiga" in Pejeng, near Ubud.

Other artists portray the barong as a medium of expression. The barong figures presented by Indonesian masters Popo Iskandar and Srihadi Sudarsono are clearly not among the strongest of their works.

Srihadi's strength is obviously not in painting the barong. In one work he presents the Barong Luh, in the other the Barong Landung. Entirely different from the familiar Barong Ket lion, this type of barong consists of a fair female and a dark male counterpart, reminiscent of Jakarta's ondel-ondel (giant traditional Betawi dolls). The tall figures appear as a distinguished couple in this vertical painting.

His quietly powerful portrayal of the Barong Lembu, the barong of the sacred Nandini (the vehicle of Goddes Shiva), retains a certain latent dynamism, although neither of the paintings possess the splendor evident in most of his works.

Efficiency

Popo Iskandar's recent paintings of the barong are also far from being his strongest. Whereas this master used to portray his subjects with an amazing efficiency of bold and expressive strokes of colors, his recent paintings are rendered with an excessive or gratuitous series of brushstrokes. Perhaps no longer confident in his minimalist approach, his current paintings appear terribly confused and unattractive. This is unfortunate considering that his painting permanently exhibited at the Neka Museum in Sanggingan, Ubud, is one of the most striking renditions of the barong.

The paintings of the sculptor Sunaryo assume the energy once present in Popo's pieces. Using economic strokes, Sunaryo is able to show incredibly powerful representations of the mythical creature, strikingly reminiscent of the work of the older artist Popo. Nonetheless, unlike Popo's softer use of the curvilinear, Sunaryo's works are less fluid but much bolder.

Which is better -- softer or bolder, static or dynamic -- depends on personal preferences, but the exhibition's most static depiction is its most interesting. Barong of the Global Era by Dede is a portrait of the Barong Ket. Nothing is terribly exciting about the artist's realistic painting technique, except that the motionless mask blends with brown packaging material, which include vaguely familiar logos of travel agencies and shipping companies. It is clearly intended to comment on tourism in Bali.

Saving the best for last, the small piece by the maestro Affandi is by far the most impressive painting in the show. It depicts the Melasti (purification), where a procession, including the barong, descend to the sea to be purified. Heading toward the darkness beyond, the lavish barong represents the artist's own journey, a kind of spiritual exploration.

The golden barong theme makes the exhibition quite pleasant. A good number of the artists have managed to create sound works around the popular barong. However viewers are left wondering what significance the barong has for Indonesian Independence. Critic Agus Dermawan T. sees the barong as a symbol of the victory of rectitude. In any event, Dirgahayu.