The unknown guru to Bali's master painters

Nyoman Wijaya, Historian, Udayana University, Denpasar, Bali

Yap Seng Teng or Yap Sin Tin was just an ordinary immigrant from China who arrived in Bali in the early 1930s.

For some Balinese artists, especially those who lived in Denpasar, he was a prominent figure in developing local painting styles.

I Gusti Made Deblog, one of Bali's influential painters, openly admitted that the Chinese man was his real guru.

Deblog, who was born in Denpasar in 1906, was a member of the Pita Maha arts society, which was established by Rudolf Bonet. Yet, he always acknowledged Yap's significant role in shaping his artistic career. The Chinese painter taught him to master the Chinese brush painting style using Chinese ink.

Deblog managed to cleverly combine this with traditional Balinese painting. Compared to other painting masters in Bali -- such as Mangkumura, I Gusti Ketut Kobot, I Gusti Made Baret, Ida Bagus Made and Anak Agung Gde Sobrat -- Deblog's works have a very characteristic style. This was the result of his combination of Chinese and Balinese styles.

But few people knew who Yap really was. There were no credible sources or documentation on the Chinese man. There was only a small clue written on the back of an old picture, which was translated by Wirya Subrata in June 2000.

The writing stated that Yap originally came from Taiwan and arrived in Bali through Benoa harbor.

He had two brothers named Yap Ing Sou and Yap Ing Kiu and an in-law Ban Sing. He also brought with him four nieces and nephews namely Yap Ing Hui, Yap Ling Ling, Yap Sun Ing and Yap Hung Ling. They lived on Sin el Lou Street in Chi Lung city, Taiwan.

Upon his arrival in Denpasar, Yap stayed in Jeroan Grenceng (now Jl. Sutomo and adjacent to Denpasar's Chinatown on Jl. Gajah Mada). He rented a plot of land from a aristocratic family of Banjar Panti. He later built a decent house on that land, which was strategically located between Denpasar and Tabanan.

Yap lived among the local people. His artistic talent and skills in Chinese medicine helped him to mix and communicate with the locals. Unlike other Chinese immigrants who were mostly traders, Yap was modest and maintained a low profile. He received numerous orders to paint portraits of several members of aristocratic families as well as commoners.

Yap's painting skill became renowned all over the city. Some of his works portrayed noted figures including Anak Agung Ayu Ketut Ribek and Anak Agung Alit Ketut Deg of Jero Kuta Palace. The family's descendants now collect these masterpieces.

It is interesting to examine Yap's paintings. First, he would draw the objects on a piece of paper using a precise scale. Usually, he used a 1:10 scale. Yap later used a magnifying glass to examine the objects to ensure that he had drawn proper and precise lines.

He later brushed the objects with Chinese ink. The ink was in the form of a hard block. To use it, Yap would scrub the block in a water-filled ceramic jar.

He frequently experimented with the ink's color. If he wanted to use pitch black, he would mix the ink with charcoal of pig's bones and other materials. He used a pen or a brush to color his paintings.

Although Yap had already mastered the Chinese painting style using ink, he had to improve his skills in drawing the human anatomy.

I Gusti Agung Adi, one of his foster sons, remembers that Yap learned to draw the parts of the human face by sketching them meticulously, starting from the eyes, nose, eyebrows, cheeks and lips.

"He wouldn't move to other organs before he mastered drawing the human face," Agung Adi recalled.

After his (second) marriage to Anak Agung Rai Rsi, an aristocrat, Yap continued to befriend local artists. One of the artists was Rai Regug from Peguyangan village, west of Denpasar.

According to his wife, Yap generously helped Rai Regug to complete one of his paintings. Regug registered this work in a painting competition to challenge other influential artists, one of whom was Deblog, who later became Yap's best friend.

Regug won the competition, while Deblog came second.

Regug's winning painting was awkward. It depicted the famous legend of Calon Arang which the Balinese people are so familiar with.

In each Calon Arang painting, there are strict rules which must be followed by any artist. Any painting of the Calon Arang legend must comprise of five basic elements of rangda (a symbol of black power): matah gede (a symbol of Calon Arang before practicing black magic), sysya (Calon Arang's followers), Pandung (prime minister of Kediri kingdom) who was ordered to kill Calon Arang, and leak-leakan (a manifestation of black magic power practiced by Calon Arang's people).

Instead of drawing leak-leakan, Regug added this part with a dragon-like figure painted in Chinese style. It was believed that this part was done by Yap. Ngurah Bagus, a professor of literature from Udayana University, now possesses this painting.

Deblog got sweet revenge by winning a second competition in 1942. This time, both artists works were obviously influenced by Yap's style.

Despite his strong influence on both painters, Yap's magnetism was also apparent in young, local painters' works including Made Tjawi and many other painters whose works are still hung in many houses, museums and art galleries in the city.

It could be concluded that Yap had a very important influence on painters' current styles in Bali. But only a limited number of artists and locals acknowledge it.