War in Balinese Paintings

I Ketut Negara started his career as puppet leather maker in his village, Nagasepaha village, Buleleng regency, Northern Bali. His was renowned for his capability in making leather puppet. It proved from numerous orders of the puppeteer’s request. The making skill in puppet is also as the reflection of his great talent in playing the puppet itself, so people often call him ‘Jero Dalang’. At present, he is famed with the name Jero Dalang Diah, while less of people recognize him with the name I Ketut Negara.

It is difficult to find a painting work that describes the view of Indonesian Independence war as the Balinese painter works. It means of war painting object background of Revolution era (1945 – 1949) in Indonesia and Bali especially. Some Balinese painters have made a war nuance painting (1945), but the paintings were made long after the war was over. The nuance descriptions on those paintings are seemly engineering by the painters who may be not born yet during the war. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that Balinese painters are unwilling to paint a war theme. A war theme actually often transformed in the form of painting by Balinese painters on canvas. However, it was not of Indonesian crusader against the colonialist, but it absorbed form ancient epos of Ramayana or Baratayuda. The figure in the painting is not of in the shape of human but of wayang (puppet). Like wise for the weapon that used, it was not of tank, plane, pistol, rifle, and other sophisticated tool, but in the form of arrow, spear, cudgel, etc. The war that illustrates by the Balinese painter is seemly only giving enlightenment to the devotee, and not as the documentation absorbing from historical moment. It clearly illustrates which one is the evil figure and which one is good figure. Usually the evil figure is placed on the left sided and the good figure on the right place. Thus in the painting, those different figure will looks face to face each other. If the painter’s inspiration source is Baratayuda story, the Pandawa is sited on the right and the Korawa will site at another direction. Whereas on Ramayana epos, the right figure is Rama and Rahwana is the left figure. In the real war, it is difficult to identify who is the winner. Not as in Ramayana or Baratayuda painting where the winner surely site on the right side of the painting. Why? Because, figure of the right side often symbolized as integrity and truth, while the other side as the symbol of evil. And as the final conclusion, the goodness is always above the evil. (Gung Man)

The War of Independence

At the end of World War II in Asia and the Pacific, Indonesia declared its independence in 1945. The Dutch tried to reclaim their colony and split the archipelago between the nationalists in Java and Sumatra, and the pro- Dutch State of East Indonesia which included Bali and island to the east. A war raged for nearly four years until the United Nations, Americans, British, and Australians forced the Dutch to withdraw in 1949. Life goes on in this imaginative work as Balinese try to shoot down a Dutch plane. Armed with daggers they fight Dutch soldiers as cameramen record the struggle. I Wayan Bendi ( 1950 - ) born in Batuan, Gianyar, Bali, learned painting from his father, I Wayan Taweng. The world of traditional life and modern tourism humorously blend together in his works which are completely filled with fantastic scenes of Balinese life. One of his paintings was enlarged into a huge tile mural at the Fukuoka Art Museum in Japan.
(Suteja Neka)
Direktur of Dharma Seni Art Foundation which manages the Neka Art Museum, Ubud-Bali