Pioneers Of Balinese Painting

The Balinese works of art featured in this catalogue were collected between 1929 and 1958 by the Dutch artist Rudolf Bonnet (1895-1978) while he lived and worked in the Balinese village, Ubud. Bonnet befriended the prince of Ubud, Cokorda Gede Agung Sukawati (d.1978) and lived in the palace grounds in Ubud during his early years on Bali. For centuries the kings of Ubud were the protectors and patrons of architecture, sculpture, painting, dance and music. Ubud was one of the areas renowned for the development of 'modern' Balinese painting from the 1930s. The works in this catalogue are owned by Leiden University in the Netherlands. The National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden has maintained this collection since its acquisition from Rudolf Bonnet in 1961. These paintings are arranged here according to four geographical areas: Tampaksiring (chapter I), Ubud (chapters II and III), Batuan (chapter IV) and Sanur (chapter V). The specific characteristics, style and content of the works by artists from these towns and villages are examined. The Leiden University collection of modern Balinese art supplements the permanent exhibition of similar works in the Puri Lukisan Museum in Ubud, which were also selected by Rudolf Bonnet. Both are included in this book.

Tales from a Charmed Life is the last in a trilogy of works by Hildred Geertz exploring the complexity of Balinese history, religion, and society. A landmark study by one of the most distinguished anthropologists of Indonesia, it centers around the stories and paintings of Ida Bagus Madé Togog (1913–1989), an artist and ritual specialist who played a significant role in the history of Balinese ethnography. In the 1930s, Togog was central to Mead and Bateson’s pioneering studies of "Balinese character" and came under the influence of expatriate artists Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet to emerge as a major representative of the Batuan style of painting. Togog’s art and anecdotal stories of his most memorable life experiences are here interwoven with Geertz’s illuminating commentary to construct an innovative framework for understanding Balinese culture. Togog shares stories of his early life, relating dilemmas from his childhood and youth. Growing up in the wake of Dutch colonization, he came into contact with new languages, customs, and economic opportunities that presented him with puzzling and poignant experiences. He tells of his association with Spies and Bonnet and later Mead and Bateson and his role in the creation of a genre of painting for which Bali is now famous. This is a view of Bali from the inside—a vivid, highly personal look at a world where spirits, ancestors, and sorcerers have the power to intervene in one’s life. According to Togog, who narrowly escaped death numerous times, his was indeed a "charmed life." The other volumes in the trilogy are The Life of a Balinese Temple: Artistry, Imagination, and History in a Peasant Village (2004) and Images of Power: Balinese Paintings Made for Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead (1994).

Visitors to the island of Bali are often overwhelmed by the abundance and variety of paintings they encounter. But what is a typical Balinese painting? In this book, newly updated and with new illustrations, the author examines the religious and social values and techniques of painting that constitute the Balinese style, and then describes the intriguing period of transition in which Balinese art finds itself today, torn between the demands for mass production for the tourist trade and the desire to preserve in traditional paintings Bali as the "last paradise."

Explores the extraordinary richness and diversity of the art of three generations of Balinese painters. From the stylised religious paintings to the unique visions of daily life painted in the era of mass tourism.

Balinese Art is the first comprehensive survey of Balinese painting from its origins in the traditional Balinese village to its present position at the forefront of the high-priced Asian art scene. Balinese art has been popular and widely collected around the world for many decades. In fact, the contemporary painter who commands the highest prices in Southeast Asia's hot art market is Bali-born Nyoman Masriadi (1973-). This book demonstrates that his work draws on a long and deeply-rooted tradition of the Bali art scene. Balinese painting has deep local roots and has followed its own distinctive trajectory, yet has been heavily influenced by outsiders. Indian artistic and religious traditions were introduced to Bali over a thousand years ago through the prism of ancient Javanese culture. Beyond the world of Indonesian art, Balinese artists and craftsmen have also interacted with other Asian artists, particularly those of China, and later Western artists. From these sources, an aesthetic tradition developed that depicts stories from the ancient Indian epics as well as themes from Javanese mythology and the religious and communal life of the Balinese themselves. Starting with a discussion of the island's aesthetic traditions and how Balinese art should be viewed and understood, this book goes on to present pre-colonial painting traditions, some of which are still practiced in the village of Kamasan--the home of "classical" Balinese art. However, the main focus is the development of new styles starting in the 1930s and how these gradually evolved in response to the tourist industry that has come to dominate the island. Balinese Art acquaints readers with the masterpieces and master artists of Bali, and the final chapter presents the most important artists who are active today and serves as an introduction to their work.

Traditional sacred paintings for family and village temples have been produced in many parts of Bali. Sacred painting, like Balinese temple sculpture, wayang, dance and music, is a living, vibrant folk art. This is an important contribution on the folk art of Bali. From the distant past to the present day, traditional sacred paintings for family and village temples have been produced in many parts of Bali. Sacred painting, like Balinese temple sculpture, wayang, dance and music, is a living, vibrant folk art. Unlike Balinese commercial art, sacred paintings,

Between 1936 and 1938 Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead collected more than 1,200 paintings and sketches made by Balinese peasants.