Bali Travels

A high density of craftsmen and artisans are in Bali. You name it and you can find it here: wood carving, stone carving, bone & ivory carving, silver & gold smiths, basket weavers, terracotta, ceramics, kites?

Woodcarving
Traditional Balinese woodcarving has always been of religious subjects. In the 1930’s though a new type of carving developed in Mas near Ubud catering to the tourist market. Today, the best Balinese carving galleries are still there. One of the oldest is the Ida Bagus Njana, Ida Bagus Tilem Gallery where you will still be able to see a number of carvings from the earlier period - these are not for sale. Quality is good and prices are sky high. If you search among a number of the less famous galleries in the area, you might be able to find a piece by the same carver for a fraction of what it would cost you in an expensive gallery. Remember too that if you come with a guide, most galleries will pay him a significant commission on your purchases. Another important area for wood carving is on the road up to Sebatu. This is the region where most of the Antik Baru or new antiques are made. There are sometimes genuine old carvings to be found but not in these villages.
Dirt and brown shoe polish are cheap and if you want it to look beat up, they will be happy to oblige. The important thing is that you find something you like for a price you can afford. There are also numerous other Balinese standards like wooden banana trees, flowers and the type of things that might often be found at cheaper prices, when they are on sale at Cost Plus! Also check out the enormous Garuda statues made in this area ever since the first President of Indonesia starting giving them away to foreign dignitaries as gifts.

Stone Carving
The preferred material for stone carving is known as volcanic tuff that resembles the color of cement when it is newly carved. Many visitors to Bali assume that they are cast, not hand made. To see the truth with your own eyes, go visit the bend in the road in Batubulan which has long been touted as being the village of stone carvers. There are several other places where stone carving takes place. You will find traditional Balinese statues albeit often sterile and a host of “kreasi baru” or new creations catering to the orders of those who came before you, including Balinese versions of angels, to busts of Beethoven. As large pieces of tuff are becoming difficult to find and expensive, smaller ones are often pounded up and mixed with cement to make blocks which are then carved. If the mixture is wrong, your sculpture might disintegrate when you get it back home. Moss and lichen love to grow on tuff, so your statue might already be covered with it when you buy it.
Remember that stone is porous and that in specially cold climates could split in freezing weather. One should also know that many of the large statues of Hindu gods and goddesses carved in hard dark pitted stone are actually not from Bali, but Java. The stone is andesite, the same. material of which the Borobudur Temple was carved. It is very durable. Unfortunately few of these carvings, despite their size, display the grace or beauty of the originals they seek to replicate. Never believe anyone who tells you that they have the original Borobudur head or statue for sale. These simply do not exist and if they did, they would be highly illegal.

Silver and Gold Smiths
The village of Celuk is now lined with galleries all selling silver ware. They are typical Balinese work using granulation and a process of attaching gold to the surface of silver. Today the industry is very sophisticated and includes everything from classical pieces to modern designs that you would not even guess were made in Bali. The silver business has grown so large in the last few years that many of the smiths are Javanese working for Balinese bosses. Most of the silver that you will see in the galleries is also probably from Java. If you are looking for a good price, the farther you wander off from the main road, the lower the prices will be. The price of silver should be determined by the weight and work. A fair price at the place of manufacture is around Rp 1000 per gram, though this is only a guideline and not a rule. Most silver is sterling. Be careful of vendors on the beach, though, who have been known to sell plate for the price of the real thing. As for gold you will most probably have to order it. The only exceptions are the goldsmith shops of Denpasar catering to the Balinese themselves. Here you buy gold by weight.

Baskets
There are many types of woven baskets made of bamboo, rattan and other fibers. In the vicinity of Ubud, large baskets are woven of pandan leaves with designs resembling American Indian motifs, in Tenganan village, which is more famous for its Geringsing textile, extremely fine and expensive baskets that are woven of a type of grass found growing on the banks of rivers. There are also numerous other types of baskets such as those used to carry fighting cocks. Many of these can be found in the market of Denpasar. Two other popular types of baskets found in Bali are those from the island of Lombok to the east ‘and fine rattan weaving from Borneo.

Others
These include wood puppets, shadow puppets, terracotta figurines, ceramics, large pots from Lombok and Banten West Borneo, primitive statues from the eastern islands, brass bowls, bronze statues and other decorative items. Furniture has become very big business in recent years. With few exceptions, it all comes from Java and is made of teak wood. The best is made of old recycled teak wood which can be recognized by its rich deep color as opposed to young teak which tends to be yellow. There are very few original pieces left anymore, so take a good look before you pay a premium price for a married piece. In furniture it is always a good idea to look underneath and in the corners carefully, for it is there you will discover how well made or old the piece is. Remember that when you buy a few large pieces that the cost of shipping can be more than the buying price. As for antiques, this is now a very flexible word in Indonesia and in Bali. Oftentimes, the best antiques are to be found among simple items that have never really caught the attention of those in search of more important pieces. Usually the longer the story about its origin, the more doubtful its authenticity. There are numerous villages and people whose livelihood is based on making new things look old. Bronzes, for example, are treated in everything from battery acid to mildly corrosive leaves. Remember that just because something looks old and the seller seems to be a great guy who wants to give you the bargain of the century, it does not mean anything. Like everything, the best advice is that if you love and can afford it, buy with no illusions. If you don’t know what you are doing, then seek expert advice. You will probably save yourself a major headache. Shopping for art, artifacts and crafts is supposed to be fun and Bali is one of the best places in the world to find something beautiful for yourself or somebody that you love

Fabric clothing play an important part in the daily life and ceremonies of Balinese. An interesting fact about traditional Balinese clothing is that most consist of a simple rectangular piece of cloth which is then elegantly wrapped around the body.

Textiles not only serve as protection against the cold and sun but are also a symbol indicating the status and well being of the wearer. The women of royal families always vied with each other to make the most beautiful creations using sumptuous materials including silk imported from China and gold and silver thread. Further many textiles were believed to be imbued with magical powers which could protect the wearer against wicked influences. They could also serve, as intermediaries with the supernatural world in religious rituals such as cremations, where hundreds of costly meters of cloth would be turned into ashes to accompany the soul of the dead to the other world.

Some if not many Balinese women keep and practice weaving and the secret knowledge of these textiles, including the ingredients of certain dyes and a rich compendium of sacred patterns. Then, one of the most important duties of a mother would be to band down her knowledge to her daughter to continue the heritage.

The followings are the most popular traditional cloths.

lkat, from the word ‘to tie knots’, is an ancient technique whereby a motif is dyed into the threads of a cloth before it is woven. There are three types of Ikat, two of which are found in Bali. The first is warp ikat usually woven in silk. This Ikat was found in many parts of Bali and usually used to make ’saput’, the outer sarongs of Balinese traditional costume, or scarves worn on ceremonial occasions. The design and motifs of these have been profoundly influenced by the Patola textiles of India. Like the Patola the ground color is almost always a deep red. Except the Balinese, with their typical creativity would take the more abstract patterns of the Patola and also create new variations. Many of the best were fanciful creations with wayang puppets or other mythological figures taken from Balinese legends and myths. Singaraja in north Bali was always renowned as home of the best of these. While most warp ikat is silk, one finds in Bali a sacred cloth usually said to be woven on the island of Nusa Penida that is a warp cotton Ikat. This is the ‘cepuk’ which considered to have powerful protective magic.

One of the most famous sort of ikat in Bali is the mysterious ‘Geringsing’ woven only in the tiny Bali Aga village of Tenganan in East Bali. Here the ikat pattern is created in both the warp and weft threads. Known as double ikat, the process is frightfully difficult and requires both expertise and patience to align the two patterns. The Geringsing is considered sacred throughout Bali and has always been very rare and expensive. Many stories have been told about it, such as human blood is necessary to obtain its deep rich color but many of these are dubious. Old pieces sometimes come up for sale but these usually are inevitably damaged. If you are a collector looking for one, Tenganan is the worst place to start as the villagers would never sell you their sacred cloth and the pieces they have are usually bought from the outside to be sold at outrageous prices to unsuspecting tourists.

Today there are any number of places specializing in new Ikat cloths. On the main road just as you enter Gianyar there are numerous ikat factories with hundreds of women still weaving by hand. Sidemen, on the way to Besakih Temple, also has a famous factory. You don’t have to go to the factory though, to find the cloth of your dreams as there are countless shops selling them as well. If you are looking for a bargain, try Denpasar market. Today ikat is rarely woven silk but rather from cotton or rayon. The colors are usually very bright and many of the motifs are new. A way to test quality, you can see if the colors run or if the cloth shrinks before going in too deeply. If you want to buy new Geringsing, it can be found in Tenganan but they are seldom as beautiful as the antique cloths and often nearly as expensive. ‘Songket’ or supplemental weft is a technique by which gold or silver threads are woven into a cloth into beautiful patterns. Antique cloths are sometimes to be found if you are willing to pay the price. These are as with the ikat usually woven in silk and rarely in good condition. New Songkets of various qualities are still woven in such places such as Klungkung.

The quality usually is reflected in the price. Cheaper prices usually mean that the Songkets is have loosely woven. The best ones can cost hundreds dollars. Songket is often used in combination with ikat. It usually comes in 2 meter lengths used as a sarong by Balinese women in ceremonies and in long scarves for the same purpose. To find some just ask a Balinese girl where she buys her festive gear. Several other traditional cloths are also found. One is called ‘Prada’, where pure gold leaf is attached to an old batik cloth. This technique has died out. Today the Prada cloths found usually use imitation gold paint, sort of polyester that are used in fans and hotel decorations. Most Balinese dance costumes are also made of Prada. A good place to buy it is in the Sukawati art market. Another old technique which is dying out is ‘Pelangi’ or tie & dye. By tying off sections of a cloth to prevent it from coming in contact with the dye, beautiful patterns are created usually in silk.

There are many other types of traditional textiles including loosely woven scarves and a host of simple to complex checked sarongs. You will surely notice the ubiquitous black and white checked sarongs wrapped around the guardian statues. Known as ‘kamben Poleng’, they are thought to represent the polar forces of the universe. Many people who come to Bali ask for Balinese batik. In fact batik was never really made in Bali, until recent times, and even today most batik still comes from Java. If you are looking for traditional batik sarongs you can go to the market in Denpasar where a whole array can be found. You will need to study them though as there are cheap print imitations, batik made with stamps (cap) or real hand-drawn batik (tulis). The prices can vary enormously. As for Balinese batik this usually refers to the large colorful bed spreads and sarongs with designs of anything from Cleopatra to the Sun and the Moon. Shops selling these can be found throughout Bali.

Divers in Indonesia can observe a greater concentration of different tropical marine species than anywhere else in the world. New species are found regularly. The reason for such diversity is that the Indonesian archipelago is strategically sited in the exact center of the oceanic area encompassing the Indian and Pacific oceans. This area is home to the same species as those found in Hawaii and the Red Sea. While it would be rare to find species from the Red Sea in Hawaiian waters and vice versa, in Indonesia all types of species are flourishing together. An excellent reason to come diving here

Bali has some impressive dive sites. With pleasant temperatures of average 27°C year round and good visibility. the best time of year for diving is the dry season from April to October. The wet season from November to March can be quite torrential.

A lot of the diving and snorkeling areas are very close to the shore with lots of colorful hard and soft corals and an amazing range of tropical fish. For the moment the reefs are mostly unspoiled and a wide variety of marine life such as dolphins, rays, turtles, Sperm and Blue whales, sea snakes and moray eels can be found here.

The main diving and snorkeling areas in Bali on the east coast are at Padang Bai and Candi Dasa and further north at Tulamben and Amed. Following the coastal road in the north of the island is Lavina. Slightly further along is Pemuteran and in the western tip of Bali is Labuan Lalang, the kick off point to Menjangan Island, an uninhabited island with some of the best diving tin Bali. Nearly 7000 hectares of coral reef and coastal waters are protected as part of the Bali Barat National Park including Menjangan Island.

In southern Bali, there’s a reef in Sanur and the island of Nusa Lembangon, Nusa Penida and the Gili islands off Lombok are all popular diving destinations.

Bali has an abundance of dive operators.Many based in Southern Bali who will transport you to the main dive areas or you can also stay at most of the locations to save on traveling time. You can get certification if required. Certifications available are PADI, SSI, CMAS and the local POSSI certification.

Sanur and Nusa Dua
Often used as a location for teaching diving because of it’s close proximity to the tourist areas, there are some interesting coral formations, sponges and plentiful colorful fish on the reef at Sanur.

Candi Dasa
Batu Tiga (three rocks) is accessed by boat from Candi Dasa or Padang Bai. With an average depth of 20m the site is excellent for diving or snorkeling. The reef is steep and sloping with many corals. Some fish seen here include Red Snapper, Clown Triggerfish, Blue Spotted Stingrays, Trevally, Morays and White tip Reef sharks.

Pulau Tepekong, on the east and north sides of the island this is a wall dive with many caves. There are large bommies and many fish such as different Triggerfish, Angelfish, Snappers, Butterfly fish, Parrotfish, Moorish Idols and Emperor.

Amed
Has excellent snorkeling just off the black sand beach and further out in the bay there’s a coral wall with an abundance of sponges and hard and soft corals. Fish varieties include Black Snapper, Trigger fish, Surgeon fish, Unicorn fish, Parrot fish, Damsel fish, Cardinal fish, White tip Reef Sharks and many larger varieties such as Dogtooth Tuna and Blue Finned Trevally

Tulamben
One of Bali’s most popular diving sites is the wreck of the US Liberty warship. It was torpedoed by the Japanese during World War II in the Lombok Strait. She was beached on Tulamben when rescue attempts failed. After the eruption of Mt. Agung in 1963 she broke in half and was left in her present position close to the shore of Tulamben. The hull is encrusted with coral and the fish have become quite tame because of the large numbers of divers here.

Lovina
A popular beach resort area, Lovina refers to a collection of small villages on the coast. In the past coral in the bay was used to make lime. Fortunately the coral is now protected and some diving and snorkeling is possible with very clear water. Lovina also is a good place to stay if you want to go to Menjangan.

Pemuteran
This area has suffered a bit from dynamite fishing but great efforts have been made to stop further destruction. There is much coral available such as Elkhorn and Staghorn. There are a lot of tropical reef fish and a profusion of Moorish Idol. There is also a turtle sanctuary located at Pemuteran with regular releases of turtles into the sea which have been bred at the Sanctuary. There’s also good snorkeling available right off the beach.

Pulau Menjangan (Deer Island)
There are a few dives sites to choose from at Menjangan with good conditions and excellent visibility. The snorkeling is excellent too. Menjangan also has a wreck, known as the “Anker” because of it’s heavily encrusted anchor at the top of the reef. Fixed moorings have been built to prevent damage and the island is reached by a 30 minute boat ride from Labuan Lalang.

Nusa Penida
About one and a half hours from Bali by motor boat, Nusa Penida offers some truly spectacular and unspoiled diving and snorkeling. As there is not much development here the reefs are very pristine. An abundance of hard and soft corals make a home for large amounts of tropical fish such as Angel fish and Clown fish. Moray eels live in the crevices and White tip Reef Sharks search for food at night and sleep by day under table corals.

Nusa Lembongan
The smaller island of Nusa Lembongan is a popular destination for day trippers. At the northern end of the island, Mangrove Point, Crystal Bay and the Blue Corner Trip are all good diving sites. Some of the areas are for experienced divers only and look for Manta Point to the east where schools of Mantas come to the cleaning stations and to mate.

The 13,677 islands of the Indonesian archipelago stretching over an area of 5,200 km into the Pacific ocean, present a plethora of choices for “boaties” to explore. Bali has three main ports: Benoa in the south, Padang Bai in the east and Gilimanuk in the north. Several major shipping lines make Padang Bai and Benoa ports of call on around the world cruises.

If you would like to explore the islands near Bali you have a wide range of choices for boating expeditions with anything from a few hours in a traditional jukung to day cruises or longer overnights trips on yachts or luxury cruisers.

Bali Hai Cruises is a boating company known for their concern on environmental issues. They have a choice of 3 cruises. The Lembongan Island Reef Cruise moors the luxury catamaran alongside a pontoon in Lembongan Bay. You can view the coral reefs and marine life on semi submersible and glass bottom boats, or by snorkeling and diving. There’s unlimited banana boats rides and a cultural tour of the island. A luncheon buffet is served on hoard. Their Lembongan Island Beach Club cruise takes you to Lembongan Island where you can enjoy their private Beach Club.

The club features a beautifully landscaped garden and lagoon pool. You can just relax or participate in activities such as pool volleyball. banana boat rides, island excursions, diving and snorkeling. A BBQ lunch is served at the poolside cabana. Bali Hai cruises also have a sunset dinner cruise around Benoa Harbour with buffet dinner, live Batakos Singers and a disco.

Beluga Marina in Tanjung Benoa have cruises to the island of Nusa Penida aboard the Quicksilver catamaran. Mooring alongside a pontoon for the day you can go over to the island to visit the village of Bodong or explore the waters through diving and snorkeling. You can also view the coral from their semi submersible vessel or froth the underwater observatory on the pontoon. Unlimited banana boat rides are available and a buffet lunch is served on the pontoon.

Beluga also have sunset cruises dolphin spotting cruise and submarine safaris.
Island Explorer Cruises also have day cruises to Lembongan by yacht or power boat and can also arrange an overnight stay on the island if required.
Rasa Yachts also sail to Lembongan for day cruises or can help you make your own itinerary to explore Bali and beyond.

Wakalouka Cruise’s luxury 23 meters catamaran takes limited numbers of guests to their Wakalouka resort on Lembongan island. Spend the day at the resort, swimming, snorkeling or relaxing. A buffet BBQ lunch and refreshments are included. Leaving in the late afternoon complimentary cocktails are served whilst you watch the sunset on the sail back to Benoa. The resort also has ten luxury bungalows for overnight stays. Wakalouka also offer special packages called the “Wakalouka Experience”, three or six day packages. combining sailing and driving trips to Wakalouka’s island and mountain resorts.

Climb aboard the Simone 111 if you’d like to try your hand at game fishing. A state of the art Blackwatch game fishing vessel, the vessel is also available for private charters for surf diving tours or extended fishing trips. A wide variety of fish can be caught in the waters within a range of one hour from Bali. Tuna, wahoo, mackerel. marlin. mai?mai, snapper, cod and coral trout are all possibilities depending on sea conditions. Buffet lunch and refreshments are provided on board.

If you want to go to Lombok by sea you can travel with the Mahua Express. a jet powered sea shuttle. The trip takes two and half hours and refreshments are served on board.

Aloha Sailing Tours offer a totally different sailing experience on their fleet of hobie cats, lasers and windsurfers. Operating on the beach near the Intercontinental Resort. Pansea Puri Bali and Kakul Cafe, all in Jimbaran, they have guided tours of Jimbaran Bay and a children’s sailing class every Saturday. There’s instruction for adults and children and if you wish to take an extended trip, they have a four day safari which begins in the north of Bali at Lovina and finishes at Amed. They also have surfing tours to Blangan at Uluwatu.

For extended cruising, Spice Island Cruises offer 3 & 4 day cruises aboard the Bali Sea Dancer. You can explore the islands to the east of Bali where many different ethnic tribes maintain a unique lifestyle through music, dance, religion, indigenous craft traditions and ancient languages.

The three day cruise travels to Sumbawa and Komodo Islands. Badas (Sumbawa besar) is the ancient capital of West Sumbawa and in the 14th century was famous for it’s trade in horses, sandalwood and timber. You will have the chance to visit the Sultan’s palace and Pamulang village where buffalo races and cultural dances will be performed. Komodo Island is home to the largest prehistoric lizard, the Komodo dragon, and is part of the Komodo National Park. You will have a chance to view the dragons from a safe distance and to visit Pink Beach for swimming and snorkeling.

The four days cruise follows the same route as the three day cruise but includes an extra stop at the island of Lombok on the return trip. Lombok is unspoiled by development and has thriving textile, basketry and ceramic industries. You can visit the Sasak village of Karangbayan and the Hindu / Buddhist / Islamic Lingsar temple. The natives of Lombok, unlike Balinese are Muslim with their own distinct culture.

The Sea Trek company offers extended sea voyages from 8-18 days aboard Buginese schooners (pinisi). Taking in such destinations as the lesser Sunda islands, Moluccas, West Papua and Sulawesi, Sea Trek emphasizes that these destinations are hardly visited by tourists and Sea Trek’s way of traveling does not disrupt the local infrastructure or local traditions, as many tourist developments have in Indonesia. The environment is one of their highest priorities. All non biological garbage is bought back to shore and the engines of their ships have been developed to modem standards.

Paintings are everywhere in Bali. Either masterpieces and junk, modern and traditional. This is understandable since both Balinese nature and culture are highly picturesque. Bali’s beauty and exoticism have naturally encouraged artists from everywhere to demonstrate their imagination and creativity. At the top of it the tourism itself also provides a ready made market for these art products.

Paintings as so other forms of arts were different in the very old days, prior to the arrival of the Dutch colonialism. The time when all aspects of life had a religious implication and were given a religious meaning. Paintings, statues, relief, masks, etc. not only had a religious use, but were designed following symbolic rules and attributed a place reflecting their religious function. The pratima statues, the visiting god’s effigy, were to be made from appropriate materials, with specific iconographic features and kept in the inner sanctuary shrines; on the contrary reliefs telling the stories of Man’s descent to hell were made with an altogether different iconography and positioned in the “lowest” and most impure part of the temple.

Even jewels were filled with religious significance. Kris (Bali’s daggers), as symbols of one’s line of descent, were made by people of the “Pande” clan, who had to go through peculiar ordainment rituals to exercise their craft. Other associative groups would specialize in other trades: the sangings in painting, the undagi with architecture and so on. And the making of all objects was regulated by a calendar of prohibitions and rituals. Some days and hours were auspicious, others not, and there were complex sets of ceremonies those meant to ‘bring to life’ or or endow (uripanga) the lontars, masks or weapons with magical power (kepasupatian).

Within this era, instead of being means of individual arts expressions, paintings were a reflection of one’s responsibility towards one’s community. The artist was the conveyor of traditional symbols, values, teachings and story-telling. Thus the text of the lontars, the sacred palm leaf books of Bali, is often accompanied by beautiful drawings. These illustrated lontars (the ‘Prasi’), still exist today and can be found in places like in Singaraja, Sukawati in Gianyar regency, or Tenganan in Karangasern regency.

Paintings made of native cotton would contain narratives which had a religious function and be assigned a place according to this function. The ‘Parba’ panels in temples would be decorated with godly figures, while cloth painting would contain illustrations such as love stories and would be unrolled during ceremonies such as wedding.

Classical painting was also closely related to wayang kulit or the shadow puppet show theater, which usually performed until the morning hours. paintings’ most popular themes stories are taken from the Indian epics the Mahabrata and the Ramayana. The narrative of the paintings are inspired by that of the puppet show. Both convey identical traditional teachings, they are made by the same craftsmen and follow the same iconographical principles. Each characters have thus to be depicted very precisely to enable its identification. This requires a high level of skills, either to carve leather or to paint on cloth. In their function as carriers of traditional values, the Balinese artists were for centuries supported by traditional rulers, who gave them protection at their court. The results are still visible in many Balinese houses, temples and palaces all around Bali. The most famous are the ceiling paintings of the Kertagosa in Klungkung, previously the kingdom’s traditional high court of justice. Therein the paintings were painted by artisans from the village of Kamasan, who had followers all over the island. The village currently houses the Kamasan Paintings school, which still carries on the tradition of wayang painting based on Indian epics. It is also famous for its painting of Balinese calendars.

Not until the beginning of previous 20th century, when the collapse of the traditional powers throughout the island and the establishment of Dutch colonial rule. Western cultural influence followed suit. Dealing with this presence imposed upon them, the Balinese artists showed their ability to feel blessings in disguise. Paramount in this cultural encounter between Bali and the West was the roles of Walter Spies, a German painter who came to Ubud in 1927. He was invited there by the head of the noble house of Ubud, Cokorda Raka Sukawati, who was the first of his time to comprehend that the future of his community lay in the arts and tourism. Upon Spies’s initiative, the Balinese painters from Ubud and the surrounding area were soon experiencing new techniques and looking for inspiration in new themes, the artistic revolution of the 30’s was launched. Another European, a Dutch painter Rudolf Bonnet settled in Ubud in 1929, further strengthening European artistic influences. These expatriate artists captured Balinese landscapes, daily life as well as everyday faces into canvas. They induced the Balinese to do the same, distributing paper, Chinese ink, paint, and canvas. The rest was marketing. Until then the Balinese artists painted on a cloth from Nusa Penida, taken their colors from natural materials such as soil and plant substances. Their consumers were merely the nobility. Spies and Bonnet, instead, marketed paintings mainly to tourists and Dutch colonials.

The basic concepts of art and painting in Bali are the opposite of that existing in Europe. The Balinese have a different concept of space. They keep it full, crowded and without perspective. Altogether different from that of the European tradition, in which space is open, and composition structured to translate more realistically, in particular with perspective, the forms and movements of the subject matter. Further more, the visual narration underlying Balinese paintings is irrelevant to Europeans. Balinese painters, instead of freezing a moment of a narrative, put several of its episodes together, thus blending time and space in a single representation unit. Spies and Bonnet introduced a new approach to space and representation, although it never reached the analytical stage Bonnet in particular was dreaming about.

Perhaps more importantly, the Europeans had led the Balinese artists to see themselves as individuals. Balinese painters started to put their names onto their paintings, becoming “artists” in the European sense of the word, i.e. individual creators. This new development spread across Bali. Balinese painters would come to Ubud and show their works to Spies or Bonnet who would then give them advice and materials. Inspired by this enthusiasm, Spies and Cokorda Raka Sukawati, together with Bonnet, established the Pitamaha Association in 1936. Run as a cooperative, it distributed materials, selected works and organized exhibitions in Java, Bali and abroad. Pitamaha also became a kind of academy for Balinese painters. Owing to the colonial spirit of the time and the traditional respect towards one’s guru, the. Balinese considered sacred the words and style of the Western masters. Thus a Bonnet and a Spies-style appeared, the First with anatomical torsos of Balinese men and women in their daily activities, the second with a lush environment of shades and light.

Some painters started developing their own style. The anatomical presentation of mythological subjects against an elaborate background first appeared in Pengosekan and nearby Padangtegal, with I Gusti Ketut Kobot, Meregeg and Sobrat. But the most gifted artist of that time was arguably I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, whose expressive and stylized drawings of daily scene make him the most creative artist of his generation.

Meanwhile, in Batuan, a center of Balinese dance and drama in Bali, many artists stuck to the traditional wayang stories and Hindu mythology, but a humanized form, and against a scenery background showing depth and a primitive perspective. The color showed dark hues and deep shading. The noted painters of Batuan were Ida Bagus Togog and I Ngendon.

After a period of crisis during the Second World War and the post independence period, Bali underwent a new creative surge in the 60’s and 70’s. In 1956 Arie Smit, another Dutch painter, settled in Penestanan, and distributed color to the local youth. A new style soon came into being: “The Young artist of Penestanan”, characterized by the coloring of thickly outlined figures and objects with extravagant though flat colors. In Batuan though, artists were competing as to who would have the smallest and most sophisticated detailing. This gave birth to the Batuan miniature school of painting. Whereas, in Pengosekan, the influence of photography led to the apparition of close-up painting of wildlife.

After the War, two important developments took place. First Bali, which had until then been the exotic favourite of Western artists, became that of the “national” painters. Some of the most famous painters from Java and elsewhere came and worked among the Balmese: Affandi, Srihadi and others. Following them, hundreds of painters from Java, Sumatra and elsewhere moved to Ubud and the surrounding area. Their production, made along the lines of Western academism, now dominates much of the local market. Perhaps more important yet is the apparition of a new generation of Balinese painters, educated not in the villages, but by the national academies of Java and, more recently, Denpasar. Some of them have refused to fall into the exotic trap and have been able to trans- late Balinese perception of space, color or themes into modern and even contemporary arts. Tusan uses Balinese offering to create Balinese Cubism, Gunarsa translates into ‘action painting’ Balinese dance and puppet characters, while Wianta, perhaps the most creative of his generation, reinvents abstraction with dot colored surfaces and structures taken from his deep Balinese consciousness.