Bali Echo Magazine Edition 52 | The Wood Carver's Legacy

The July day was uncomfortably warm, and we were after something we could do to take us
out of the sun's glare. What could be better, we wondered, than a spacious art gallery, full of
shady nooks, cool file, and interesting work? But, which one? After a quick consultation with our
trusty guide bock and a map, we made our decision to visit the Njana Tilem Gallery, on JI. Raya Mas, in Mas. We didn't have much information. The guide bock briefly noted that Ida Bagus Tilem, son of famed woodcarver Ida Bagus Njana, was legendary, widely regarded as the best wood sculptor of all time. Tilem was chosen to represent Indonesia at the New York World V
Fair in 1964, a tremendous honor. It also said Tilem died in 1993 of a massive stroke, at
the age of fifty- seven.

We read about how his family and students; still keep his gallery and workshop open in order to carry on his tradition of carving, even beyond his lifetime. The bock's brief summary of Tilem's contribution to the Balinese art and history of woodcarving intrigued us, and roused our curiosity We were eager to see his work. At the Njana Tilem gallery entrance, staff members greeted us with smiles and courtesy. They noted my camera and politely informed us the taking of photographs was not permitted anywhere on the gallery premises. They told us we could stay for as long as we liked, and we could walk freely through the many gallery rooms, but we were not to take pictures or make drawings of any kind. We agreed to obey the rules, and we were welcomed inside. A slender young man rose from a chair behind the door and introduced him- self. He informed us he was a student woodcarver, an apprentice in the workshop. He said he would be happy to act as our escort and guide if we liked, at no charge. We accepted his; offer and were on our way, glad to have someone with us who could answer our questions, and maybe help, us learn something about Balinese woodcarving. We soon discovered the "gallery" was actually"', composed of a series of large, airy rooms filled with flowers and greenery, spread out across two floors. The rooms were breathtakingly beautiful.

Everywhere our eyes rested, there were ebony, teak, hibiscus, sawo, and jackfruit sculptures - each one more exquisitely carved than the next. l was frankly amazed to think a

	single man, even one as supremely gifted as Ida Bagus Tilem, could have had such a remarkable output of work in one Lifetime. l said as much to our Guide. He replied with a smile that the carvings were not all personally carved by Tilem. He said that many of the pieces, especially those for sale in the gallery, were the work of Tilem's many students. Ida Bagus Tilem, he said, was a caring teacher who helped his students grow to their full potential as artists. He habitually taught the apprentices to be patient with the wood as they worked. He wanted them to carefully and meticulously draw out the shapes and images with their hands and tools, using their inner awareness of the wood's properties, rather than brute
.force Tilem always stressed the importance: of focusing on the act of carving, rather than the rewards and praise that might come of it. Hundreds of woodcarvers apprenticed them-selves to Tilem over the years, and under his tutelage, many have become masters in their own right. Today, the student woodcarvers in the workshops study under Tilem's former students. Our guide said that as a young man, Tilem faced the vexing problem of limited finances, and he had a hard struggle at times to live Ok and raise his family while he loamed his craft. As a direct result of that early Privation, once Tilem's gallery flourished, he generously arranged to provide even the poorest students with both materials and tools, and a place in his shop to sell their work. "These very works all around you, in all these rooms," the guide said. 1 asked how to tell which carvings were by which artist, and he laughed, waved his arm toward in a sweeping gesture and said, It does not matter, does it? They are all Tilem's, are they not?" He went on, "However, l think you will know which ones Tilem carved with his own hands. They are the very best. You will see." We saw an entire room filled with wooden sculptures based on the Ramayana stories, depicting familiar tales from Hindu mythology. In one corner, tall and graceful Ramas, bows drawn as steely-eyed, they hunted down the Golden Deer. In another corner, monkey generals offered small golden rings to gorgeous Sitars as pledges of her consort's true love. There were fierce battle scenes carved from enormous blocks of wood in which armed and grim Ramas and Rawanas crashed through the heavens crossing weapons. The expressions on the faces, the jewels in the armor, the flowering buds crushed under the hooves of the warriors' steeds - all of it incredible, all of it coaxed from the wood by the artist's imagination and skill. Passing to the next room, we saw life-sized teak carvings of farmers cutting rice in the fields, daubs of wooden mud carved onto their sinewy arms and ankles. Crouching sawo wood men pitted their fighting cocks in battle, holding the carved baskets high above the ground. Each raised cock feather was as finely carved as a filament. Whip-thin ebony fishermen cast their sweeping nets across flowing rivers. Tamarind dancing girls, their arms and faces and legs