Arts & Artists

Beautiful Culture

By the Bronze era, around 300 B.C., a fairly evolved culture already existed on Bali. The complex system of irrigation and rice production, still in use today, was established around this time. Photo by-Kristupa Saragih (letjen)

IT APPEARS THAT THE MAIN RELIGION AROUND 500 A.D. WAS

PREDOMINANTLY BUDDHIST IN INFLUENCE. In 670 A.D., a Chinese scholar (Yi-Tsing), on a trip to India, reported that he had visited a Buddhist country called Bali. It wasn’t until the 11th century that Bali received the first strong influx of Hindu and Javanese cultures. With the death of his father around AD 1011, the Balinese Prince, Airlanggha, moved to East Java and set about uniting it under one principality. Having succeeded, he then appointed his brother, Anak Wungsu, as ruler of Bali. During the ensuing period there was a reciprocation of political and artistic ideas. The old Javanese language, Kawi, became the language used by the aristocracy, one of the many Javanese traits and customs adopted by the people.

With the death of Airlanggha, in the middle of the 11th century, Bali enjoyed a period of autonomy. However, this proved to be short-lived, as in 1284 the East Javanese King Kertanegara, conquered Bali and ruled over it from Java. In 1292, Kertanegara was murdered and Bali took the opportunity to liberate itself once again. However, in 1343, Bali was brought back under Javanese control by its defeat at the hands of Gajah Mada, a general in the last of the great Hindu-Javanese empires, the Majapahit. With the spread of Islam throughout Sumatra and Java during the 16th century, the Majapahit empire began to collapse and a large exodus of aristocracy, priests, artists and artisans to Bali ensued. For a while Bali flourished and the following centuries were considered the Golden Age of Bali’s cultural history. The principality of Gelgel, near Klungkung, became a major centre for the arts, and Bali became the major power of the region, taking control of neighbouring Lombok and parts of East Java.

THE EUROPEAN INFLUENCE

The first Dutch seamen set foot on Bali in 1597, yet it wasn’t until the 1800’s that the Dutch showed an interest in colonising the island. In 1846, having had large areas of Indonesia under their control since the 1700’s, the Dutch government sent troops into northern Bali. In 1894, Dutch forces sided with the Sasak people of Lombok to defeat their Balinese rulers. By 1911, all the Balinese principalities had either been defeated in battle, or had capitulated, leaving the whole island under Dutch control. During World War II, the Dutch were expelled by the Japanese, who had occupied Indonesia from 1942 to 1945. After the Japanese defeat, the Dutch tried to regain control over their former colonies, but on August 17, 1945, Indonesia was declared independent by its first President, Sukarno. After four years of fighting and strong criticism from the international community, the Dutch government finally ceded and, in 1949, Indonesia was recognized as an independent country.

THE PEOPLE

Life in Bali is very communal with the organisation of villages, farming and even the creative arts being decided by the community. The local government is responsible for schools, clinics, hospitals and roads, but all other aspects of life are placed in the hands of two traditional committees, whose roots in Balinese culture stretch back centuries. The first, Subak, concerns the production of rice and organises the complex irrigation system. Everyone who owns a sawah, or padi field, must join their local Subak, which ensures that every member gets his fair share of irrigation water. The other community organisation is the Banjar, responsible for arranging all village festivals, marriage ceremonies and cremations. Most villages have at least one Banjar and all men have to join when they marry. Banjars, on average, give membership to 50 up to 100 families and all Banjars have their own meeting place called the Bale Banjar. As well as being used for regular meetings, the Bale (pavilion) is where the local gamelan orchestras and drama groups practice.

RELIGION

Balinese people are Hindu, yet their religion is very different from the Indian variety. The Balinese worship the Hindu trinity Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, who are seen as manifestations of the Supreme God Sanghyang Widhi. Other Indian gods like Ganesha (the elephant-headed god) also appear, but more commonly. Shrines associated with the many gods and spirits, uniquely Balinese, are found all over the island. Balinese people strongly believe in magic and the power of spirits, basing much of their religion on this. They believe good spirits dwell in the mountains and that the seven seas are home to demons and ogres. Most villages have at least three main temples, namely: (1) the Pura Puseh, or ‘temple of origin’, facing the mountains; (2) the Pura Desa, or village temple normally found in the centre; and (3) the Pura Dalem, aligned with the sea and dedicated to the spirits of the dead. Aside from these ‘village temples’, almost every house has its own shrine. Some temples, for example Pura Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung, are considerably more important and people from all over Bali travel there to worship. Offerings play a significant role in Balinese life as they appease the spirits and thus bring prosperity and good health to the family. Every day small offering trays (canang sari), containing symbolic food, flowers, cigarettes and money, are respectfully put on shrines, in temples, in front of houses and shops, and at dangerous crossroads. Festivals are another great occasion for soothing the gods. The women carry huge, beautifully arranged pyramids of food, fruit and flowers on their heads while the men might conduct a blood sacrifice through a cockfight. The gods are invited to descend and join the festivities with music and traditional dances to go with it. This kind of event is extremely exciting, memorable and well worth attending.

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With the arrival of European artists in the beginning of the 20th century, this soon began to change. Local artists started to develop their own individual styles.

PAINTING

Until the start of the 20th century, the dominant form of painting was the portrayal of Hindu epics by painters and illustrators called ‘Sangging’. Aside from making large representational paintings, the ‘Sangging’ were expected to decorate everything from gourds, wooden altars, bamboo vessels, headboards for princely bed chambers and, in particular, they were expected to illustrate astrological wall hangings on bark paper or cloth. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that western influences reached Bali. The use of Asian symbols in the works of, among others, Paul Gauguin, Toulouse Lautrec and Camille Pissaro, created a new trend for Asian-influenced art and for European painters to move to Bali. Ubud’s fame regarding art can be traced to the arrival of the German painter Walter Spies and the Dutch Rudolf Bonnet. There is a much wider range of artistic styles today. Ubud Style Influenced by the western use of perspective and everyday-life subject matter, the Ubud style is one of the most ‘expressionistic’ of all Bali’s schools. Despite this, Ubud’s art still retains many traditional features, including attention to detail and stylized characters. Batuan Style Strongly wayang based (puppet). This style involves hundreds of intricately painted representations of Balinese life, filling every available nook and cranny of the canvas. Keliki Style Keliki paintings measure 20cm by 15cm. They contain scenes of mythical and Ramayanic characters engaged in battle, good versus evil, on sinister

Pengosekan Style From this village, on the outskirts of Ubud, a new style sprang up during the 1960s. It concentrated on just a few natural components, such as birds, insects, butterflies and plants.

STONE CARVING

Stone carvings were mainly used to decorate temples and palaces. 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. Bali’s modernday centre of stone carving is the village of Batubulan, situated halfway between the towns of Denpasar and 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. Bali does have a very rich textile industry of its own. The beautiful Songket fabrics, worn by performers of traditional dances, are a good example. In Songket gold and silver threads are woven into the cloth to create complex motifs of birds, butterflies and flowers. 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 are then woven with plain warp threads. The least common form of weaving to be seen in Bali is the Geringsing, or double-ikat, and it is perhaps the most sought after.In Geringsing 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 Bali Aga village of Tenganan, East Bali.

WOOD CARVINGS

Wood and stone carvings have traditionally been featured largely in temple and palace architecture. Immaculately carved demons and mythical beings decorate pillars, door panels, lintels and window shutters with the object of protecting the buildings from evil intruders. Scenes of legendary figures placed within a floral décor, set a more pleasant and educational tone. With the arrival of European influences, wood carving started to develop a long more innovative and commercial lines. Today, whole villages specialise in producing certain styles of work. The village of Mas, near Ubud, is the best known for its carvings of female figures, Buddhas, characters from Hindu epics, the traditional topeng (mask) and Wayang Wong masks.

DANCE & DRAMA

Dance and drama have played a historically important role in Balinese society. Through this medium, people learned about the tales of the Ramayana, Mahabarata and of other epic stories from Balinese history. The following are brief descriptions of some of the more well-known dance-dramas that can be seen at regular performances throughout Bali.

Baris - This is a warrior’s dance. It is usually performed by men, either solo or in a group of five or more. Barong & Rangda - This is a story about the struggle between good and evil. Good is personified by the Barong Keket, a strange but funloving creature in the shape of a shaggy semi-lion. Evil is represented by Rangda, a witch. Kecak - The most famous of the Balinese dances, originated from the Sanghyang dance choirs, holds its uniqueness in the entrancing ‘Kecak, kecak’ chant. The Kecak as a dance developed in the 1930s, in the village of Bona, where it is still performed regularly. Legong - This dance tells a story of princess Rangkesari being held captive by King Lakesmi. Rangkesari’s brother, prince Daha, gathers an army to rescue his sister. The Legong is a very classical and graceful dance, always performed by prepubescent girls, who can be as young as eight or nine years old. Wayang Kulit (Shadow Puppet) - Wayang Kulit is one of the great storytelling traditions of the Javanese and Balinese people. The wayang show usually consists of a small four-piece orchestra, which provides the musical accompaniment, around sixty ‘puppets’, carved out of flat pieces of water buffalo hide, and the dalang or puppet-master. The good characters speak in ancient ‘Kawi’, whereas the evil or coarse ones speak Balinese. The Bali Agung Show The Bali Agung Show at the Bali Safari and Marine Park is an inspiring cultural performance dedicated to the entertainment of both local and international audiences. This spectacular show celebrated its 1500th performance on Jan 19, 2016. With regular scheduled performances over the past five years, the colossal and spectacular Bali Agung Show is arguably the longest-running theatrical production in Indonesia’s theatrical history. Jalan Prof. Ida Bagus Mantra Km 19.8, Gianyar Bali | Ph: +62 361 950000 | marketing@balisafarimarinepark.com Devdan Show Devdan’s “Treasure of the Archipelago” at the Bali Nusa Dua Theatre is a 90-minute show that takes you on a tour of the Indonesian archipelago with impressive acrobatics, effects and traditional dances. Performed 4 times a week every week.www.devdanshow.com. Calonarang The Calonarang dance tells the tale of a widow queen, Walunateng Dirah from Girah village who possessed the ability to conduct powerful black magic. Her powers were said to be stronger than the King Erlangga’s, causing fear among all that nobody would dare to ask for her daughter’s hand in marriage. The widow, furious, placed a curse on the entire land and people began to die without reason, which caused a state-wide war. The King then sought the help of a Priest, Mpu Bharadah, who defeated Calonarang with his white magic.

Ramayana The Ramayana dance tells the epic love story of Rama and Sita whose love was too strong to be torn apart. Expect exciting scenes of treachery among the royal family, lost-in-the-jungle scenes, kidnappings, brave rescue missions by Hanoman the Monkey King, and a romantic ending where Rama is forever reunited with his love, Sita.