PAINTINGS

The place synonymous with the traditional form of Balinese painting is the village of Kamasan near Klungkung. In the service of the kings of Gelgel and Klungkung up until the beginning of this century, it was only natural that the painters and illustrators, called 'Sangging', should settle in this one area. As it was not uncommon for ruling families from other parts of Bali of acquire the use of a Sangging to decorate their own palaces or temples, the Kamasan style of painting quickly spread throughout the whole of Bali.
Until the start of this century, the dominant form of painting was the portrayal of Hindu epics, on 'Langse' - large narratives painted either on broad, rectangular cloths or on 'Ider-ider' which were much narrower (about 30cm wide and several meters long). Langse were placed in temples as wall hangings or used as curtains in the palaces. Ider-ider were hung around the roofs of temples and shrines and were used decoratively at court on festive occasions. The artists also painted on wooden boards which were placed between rafters as ceiling friezes. A side from large representational paintings, the 'Sangging' were also expected to decorate everything from gourds, wooden altars, bamboo vessels, headboards for princely bed chambers and in particular to illustrate astrological wall hangings on bark paper or cloth.

The style for which the artists of Kamasan are famous is based on the East Javanese 'Wayang' art. These were basically two-dimensional, iconographic representations following strict rules and guidelines as to how the characters should be portrayed. For example a person's character and status can be seen from the colors used to portray them, his headdress of even the direction in which he is facing. Noblemen always have very refined faces while coarse characters have large, bulging eyes and fangs. Today in Kamasan you can still find people who are dedicated to painting in the traditional 'Wayang' style. One of the most famous Kamasan artists is I Nyoman Mandra, who, aside from producing his own paintings and doing restoration work, has started a school to try and keep the Wayang tradition alive.

It wasn't until the early nineteen hundreds that Western influence reached Bali. The use of Asian symbols in the works of, amongst others, Paul Gauguin, Toulouse Lautrec and Camille Pissaro created a new trend for Asian-influenced art and European painters began to move to Bali. Ubud's fame for art can be traced to the arrival of German painter, Walter Spies and Dutch painter Rudolf Bonnet. Together, with Indonesian artist Gede Agung Sukawati, they established the Pitamaha Group which encouraged Balinese artists to more expressive and less tradition-bound. Aside from the Kamasan school of painting there now exists a wide range of different styles. Some characteristics are listed briefly below.

STONE CARVING

Although stone carvings were mainly used to decorate temples and palaces, the carvers had much more leeway in their use of subject matter than the artists and illustrators. There is little difference between the iconography decorating temples and that of private buildings. Gateways represent the dividing line between the inner and outer worlds and as such are the recipients of some of the most fantastic carvings. As well as portraying deities and demons, the carvers included many scenes from public life and there are many temple surfaces enriched with the antics of the Dutch Colonialists including scenes of bicycles, drunken parties, car break-downs and even aeroplanes. Bali's modern-day center of stonecarving is the village of Batubulan, situated half-way between Denpasar and Gianyar.
Although you can see excellent examples of Balinese stone carving all over the island, the temples in the North tend to be much more unrestrained (with the exception of Pura Puseh in Batubulan). If you are planning on visiting Northern Bali it is well worth taking the time to visit Pura Meduwe Karang in Kubutambahan, Pura Dalem in Jagaraga and Pura Beji near Singaraja. In order to see the work of Bali's most famous stonecarver and accomplished artist, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, visit Pura Sagen Agung in Ubud.

TEXTILES

One of the most striking things about Bali is the rich variety of cloths and materials that are to be seen in thousands of shops throughout the island. However only a small proportion of these are indigenous to Bali. The myriad of batik clothes and sarongs available everywhere, are mainly imported from Java and a large proportion of the woven cloths (ikat) found in and around Kuta / Legian area are imported from the islands of Sumba & Flores. However Bali does have a very rich textile industry of its own. The beautiful Songket fabrics worn by performers of traditional dance are a good example.
In Songket, gold and silver threads are woven into the cloth to create complex motifs of birds, butterflies and flowers. Sometimes they use so much gold & silver that the underlying cloth is barely visible.

Endek, or weft ikat is another common method used in Bali. In weft ikat weaving, the weft threads are dyed to create the design and then woven with plain warp threads. These cloths are recognizable by their abstract designs and bright colors.

Although by far the least common form of weaving to be seen in Bali, Geringsing, or double-ikat, is perhaps the most sought after. With this technique, both the warp and weft threads are dyed to their final designs before being woven together. With the exception of certain areas in India and Japan, this weaving technique can only be found in the small village of Bali Aga in Tenganan, East Bali.

If you would like to see ikat being woven visit the Cili Weaving Center, Jalan Ciung Wanara, Gianyar.

WOOD CARVING

Wood carving, like stone carving, has traditionally featured largely in temple and palace architecture with little freestanding 'sculpture' work produced commercially. Immaculately carved demons and mythical beings decorate pillars, door panels, lintels and window shutters with the aim of protecting the buildings from evil intruders. Scenes of legendary figures placed within floral decor set a more pleasant and educational tone. When producing tools and objects for everyday use, sculptors had a much freer hand in choosing subject matter. With the arrival of European influences, wood carving started to develop along more innovative and commercial lines.
Although there have been noteworthy carvers, for example; I Nyoman Cokot, Ida Bagus Nyana and Ketut Nongos, artistic integrity has suffered as a result of the whole villages specialize in producing certain styles of work. The village of Mas near Ubud is probably the best known for its carvings of female figures, Buddhas, characters from Hindu epics and the traditional Topeng and Wayang Wong masks.