PRE-COLONIAL PAINTING

In pre-colonial Bali, paintings functioned to disseminate the symbols, myths and epics from the Hindu-Javanese tradition introduced into Bali by the Majapahit invasion of 1343. Now referred to as wayang (shadow puppetry) paintings, for they were largely inspired by the shadow puppet theater, Balinese paintings of the pre-colonial period played a didactic, narrative role. Consequently, freedom of artistic expression was closely prescribed. In order to clarify the narratives depicted in these paintings, it was seen to that canvases were fully occupied. Color was technically used as a wash over surfaces, which were contoured by well-drawn lines. This kind of painting, stultified and at once preserved by tourism, continues to be produced today to day in the village of Kemasan, near Klungkung.

RENEWAL

Following the Dutch invasion of the island in 1906 came a rupture with the traditional, wayang style of painting. In particular, changes in Balinese painting were precipitated by two Westerners, the musician-cum-painter-cum-Bali specialist Walter Spies (1895-1942) and the Dutch artist Rudolf Bonnet (1895-1978), who lived and worked among the Balinese from Ubud between 1927 and the beginning of the Second World War. By distributing materials and offering advice to local painters, they prompted what has become known as the Renewal Movement of the 1930s. The introduction of paper gave a new suppleness to drawings by Balinese artists, and the use of Chinese ink in wash allowed for a better discrimination of depth. Scenes of daily life and nature superceded religiously-inspired themes, while suggestions from the foreigners led Balinese painters to introduce anatomy and perspective into their work.

In the 1930s, the Renewal Movement bloomed under the banner of the Pita Maha, an association set up by Spies, Bonnet and the prince of Ubud Cokorda Gede Agung Sukawati (1935) to direct and protect local painting. The Pita Maha’s main centers were in Ubud and Batuan. The Pita Maha artists in Ubud became known for their representative art, which included secular themes and light, drawn lines, and for the advances they made in anatomy and perspective. Those in Batuan favoured an expressionist style, with their vivid reinterpretations of local beliefs and myths which were densely drawn in dark Chinese-ink.