Fruits within Balinese People’s Life

People realize the fruit functions as a healthy supplement. The fruits are banana, durian, mangosten, rambutan, apple, etc. It tastes different sweet or some times sour. Most people are fond of fruits. Besides delicious tasting, it also contains of vitamin that needed by our body.

Fruit is an important part within Balinese people’s life. It is frequently used as medicine component, for example delima putih (white pomegranate), jeruk nipis (calamondin), etc. Fruits utilize also as ceremonial equipment supplement, for example the coconut palm used as daksina supplement. Coconut palm used also as ingredient in cake making and cooking spices, such as lawar (chopped meat mixed with vegetables).
In painting art, fruits often become a painting object. Arranged well and then transferred into the canvas creating a charming painting. It was well shown not only by the traditional painter, but of modern painter as well. Besides as the main object in painting, fruits sometime become an additional and attractive point of a painting.
The same idea of making fruits as inspiration resource also influenced the craftsman to create an art product. Several craftsmen in Bali ever made a functional stuff of fruit such as tissue box, jewelry box. This functional handicraft commonly made basically from wood and painted as its color.
The idea appeared also through the sculptor’s taught. A sculptor made a statue in form of fruits tree, such as coconut palm, banana, durian, rambutan (nephelium tree similar to lychee). They made it with wood and painted with related color of the real tree. This kind of handicraft can easily get in Sukawati Art Market, Gianyar, or art shops in Tegalalang, Gianyar.
Beside it transferred by the artist into art form, fruits are usefully to the Balinese Hindu for ritual offering supplement. Those fruits are well arranged in one gebogan or sesajen (offering) consist of fruits, janur (yellowish coconut leaf), jajan (cake), and flower. It can conclude that the Balinese people’s life will tasteless without fruits. (Gung Man)

Jayaprana Meet Layonsari

The tragic Balinese romance of Jayaprana and Layonsari involves a jealous king who kills his loyal citizen Jayaprana in a mad desire to possess the youths beautiful wife, Layonsari . Rather than submit to the king, however, she commits suicide and joins her husband in heaven. Here the handsome and finely dressed Jayaprana accidentally meets the lovely Layonsari for the very first time while she sells fruit in the market place. It is love at first sight for the both of them. The figures are done in a somewhat natural and western influenced manner.
Painting by Ida Bagus Rai, Padangtegal, Gianyar, Bali.
(Suteja Neka)
Direktur of Dharma Seni Art Foundation which manages the Neka Art Museum, Ubud-Bali