BALI ISLANDS
Bali lies between the islands of Java and Lombok and is one more than 17,000 islands that makes up the Indonesian Archipelago. Bali is small, stretching approximately 140 km from east to west and 80 km from north to south. Slightly off centre, and running east to west, are a string of volcanic mountains. The tallest is Gunung Agung, which last erupted in 1963, and is 3,142 m. at its highest point.
Lying just 8° south of the Equator, Bali boasts a tropical climate with just two seasons, wet and dry, a year and an average annual temperature of around 28° C. The rich volcanic soil and healthy monsoon season make this island extremely fertile and a range of crops are grown here. The wide and gently sloping southern regions play host to Bali's famed rice terraces, among some of the most spectacular in the world. In the hilly, northern coastal regions, the main produce is coffee, copra, spices, vegetables, cattle and rice.
The Balinese people have strong spiritual roots and despite the large influx of tourists over the years, their culture is still very much alive. The main religion is Agama Hindu Dharma, which arrived in Bali with the spread of Hinduism through Sumatra and Java during the 11th century. Although originally from India, the Balinese religion is a unique blend of Hindu, Buddhist, Javanese and ancient indigenous beliefs, with customs that are very different from the traditional from of Hinduism practiced in India today. With the arrival of Islam in neighbouring Java during the 15th century, a large number of courtiers, artists, musicians and craftsmen fled to Bali, creating an artistic renaissance.
Naturally creative, the Balinese have traditionally used their talents for religious purposes and most of the beautiful work to be seen here, has been inspired by stories from the Ramayana and other Hindu epics. The incredibly colourful cremation pyres and the everyday offerings to the gods, placed inside every shop and business, are made with an eye for detail and beauty.
The majority of Bali's 3,000,000 people live, for the most part, in tight village communities with large extended families. The largest towns are the capital Denpasar, population approximately 450,000 and Singaraja in the north. The main tourist area is Kuta, situated near the airport. This small sleepy village became a major attraction during the tourist boom of the 70's, because of its famed white-sand beaches, the surf, and stunning sunsets.
Today, Kuta is a major hustling and bustling resort town, with hundreds of hotels, bars, restaurants and shops. Those in search of a little peace and quiet tend to head for the more sedate resorts of Sanur and Candi Dasa, on the east coast,or Lovina in the north. Nusa Dua, another tourist enclave on the southernmost peninsula of the island, caters for the more up-market crowd and is home to almost all of the bigger 5-star hotels. The central village of Ubud, in the hilly region of Gianyar, has also blossomed as a tourist attraction and is now considered to be the artistic and cultural centre of Bali.
Bali Island Villas
Located within the vibrant pulse of Seminyak, is a private complex of 10 self-contained luxury villas. Although very much a part of Bali’s most cosmopolitan district, the villas remain a calming niche ideal for a leisurely break.
Villa Living
Each one-bedroom villa shares a common infra-structure that evokes the sense of residential living within a small community. A fully equipped gourmet kitchen, dining and lounge area is an integrated environment that personifies contemporary Bali.
The spaciously appointed master bedroom is bathed in natural sunlight that filters through full-length glass paneled doors. There is a walk-in wardrobe and spa-inspired en-suite bathroom in cool grey tones with double vanity and sunken tub for two.
Each villa merges seamlessly into a landscaped garden that incorporates a private swimming pool and timber sundeck. A well concealed set of stairs leads to reveal a unique rooftop terrace with traditional Balinese lounging pavilion and ample space to entertain or soak up the sun.
Balinese Art
Artistically, Bali is and has always been a melting pot of cultures and traditions. The Balinese have a natural capacity for absorbing different cultural elements and blending them with their own, to produce dynamic new hybrids. Over the years, Bali has been the recipient of numerous foreign influences, namely Chinese, Buddhist, Indian, Hindu, Javanese, and most recently, Western. For centuries, artists and craftsmen in Bali worked under the patronage of the priests and the ruling classes, decorating palaces and temples. The artists themselves never signed their work and usually lived close together in artists "villages"
Generally the artists did not have much room for personal expression, as their designs followed strict aesthetic and religious guidelines, but with the arrival of European artists at the start of this century, things began to change, and Balinese artists began developing their own individual styles.
PAINTING
The place synonymous with the traditional form of Balinese painting, is the village of Kamasan, near Klungkung. Up until the beginning of this century, and under service of the king of Gelgel and Klungkung, it was only natural that the painters and illustrators, called "Sangging", should settle in this one area. As it was not uncommon for ruling families from other parts of Bali to acquire the use of a Sangging to decorate their own palaces or temples, the Kamasan style of painting quickly spread throughout the whole of Bali.
The style for which the artists of Kamasan are famous is based on the East Javanese "Wayang" art. These were basically two-dimensional, iconographic representations following strict rules and guidelines as to how the characters should be portrayed. For example, a person's characters and status can be seen from the colours used to portray them, a noble man's headdress, or even the direction in which he is facing. Noblemen always have had very refined faces, while coarse characters were depicted with large, bulging eyes and fangs. Today in Kamasan you can still find people who are dedicated to painting in the traditional "Wayang" style.
One of the most famous Kamasan artists is I Nyoman Mandra, who, aside from producing his own paintings and doing restoration work, started a school to try and keep the "Wayang" tradition alive.
It wasn't until the early 1900's, that western influence reached Bali . The use of Asian symbols in the works of, amongst others, Paul Gauguin, Toulouse Lautrec and Camille Pissaro, created a new trend for Asian-influenced art and European painters began to move to Bali. Ubud's fame for art can be traced to the arrival of the German painter, Walter Spies and the Dutch painter Rudolf Bonnet. Together, with Indonesian artists such as Gede Agung Sukawati, they established the Pitamaha Group, which encouraged Balinese artists to be more expressive and less bound by tradition.
Aside from the Kamasan school of painting, there now exists a wide range of different styles, the characteristics have been briefly listed below:
Ubud Style
Influences by the western use of perspective and everyday life subject matter, the Ubud style is one of the most 'Expressionist' of all the Balinese schools. Despite this, Ubud art still retains many traditional
features, including the attention to detail and very stylized characters. Among the better known (indigenous) Ubud artists are: Anak Agung Gede Sobrat, Ida Bagus Made, I Gusti Ketut Kobot, Dewa Putu Bedil and Made Sukada.
Batuan Style
Strongly "Wayang" based, this style involves hundreds of intricately painted representations of Balinese life, filling every available nook and cranny of the canvas. Batuan artists like I Wayan Bendi, Ni Wayan Warti and I Made Budi, make much more of a statement about life in Bali, with subject matter that includes everything from traditional village activities to camera toting tourists, & even surfers. Earlier Batuan artists, Ida Bagus Made Togog and Ida Bagus Made Wija, dealt more with the darker, supernatural side of life, with people depicted as being extremely vulnerable to the spirits and powers of nature.
Keliki Style
Keliki art is very similar to the old "Batuan Style" with the one exception being size; Keliki paintings measure 20 cm by 15 cm, and contain scenes of mythical and Ramayanic characters engaged in battle, good versus evil, on sinister backgrounds. Keliki artists also follow the tradition of the "Wayang" artists in that they seldom sign their work.
Pengosekan Style
From this village, on the outskirts of Ubud, a new style sprang up during the 60's that concentrated on just a few natural components such as birds, insects, butterflies and plants. These paintings tend to be more realistic and less expressive than the Ubud style.
Young Artists
A second movement, born of European influence, occurred in the early 60's, with the arrival of Arie Smit to the village of Penestanan. He encouraged the artists in this area to explore & experiment with vivid colours and more simple abstract forms. The paintings in this style are much more 'expressionist', with little attention to detail or perspective.
Among the better known of the "young artists" are: I Wayan Pugur, I Ketut Tangen, I Nyoman Londo and Ketut Soki.
STONE CARVING
Stone carvings were mainly used to decorate temples and palaces and the carvers had much more leeway in their use of subject matter than the artists and illustrators. 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. As well as portraying deities and demons, the carvers included many scenes from public life and there are many temple surfaces enriched with the antics of the Dutch colonists, including scenes of bicycles, drunken parties, car breakdowns and even airplanes.
Bali's modern day centre of stone carving is the village of Batubulan, situated along the route between Denpasar and Ubud.
In the temples in North Bali there would appear to be more creative works in stone (with the exception of Pura Puseh in Batubulan). If touring in the north of Bali, it is worth taking the time to visit Pura Meduwe Karang in Kubutambahan, Pura Dalem in Jagaraga and Pura Beji near Singaraja.
At Pura Sagen Agung in Ubud works by Bali's most famous stone carver, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, and other accomplished artists, are to be found.
TEXTILES
One of the most striking things about Bali is the rich variety of cloths and materials that are to be found in the thousands of shops across the island. However, in actual fact, very few originate here! The myriad of batik clothing and sarongs available across the island are mainly imported from Java, and most of the woven cloth (Ikat) found in and around the Kuta /Legian areas, are imported from the nearby islands of Sumba and Flores.
Bali does however, have a very rich textile industry of its own. The beautiful "Songket" fabrics worn by performers of traditional dance are a fine example. In Songket, gold and silver threads are woven into the cloth to create complex motifs of birds, butterflies and flowers, & sometimes they use so much gold and silver that the underlying cloth is barely visible.
"Endek", or "weft ikat" is another commonly used weaving method in Bali. In "weft" weaving, the "weft" threads are dyed to create the design and then are woven with plain warp threads. These pieces of cloth are recognizable by their abstract designs and bright colours.
The last common form of weaving to be seen in Bali is the "Geringsing", or double-ikat and it is perhaps the most sought after. A creation when 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, in East Bali.
BALI ISLANDS
Bali lies between the islands of Java and Lombok and is one more than 17,000 islands that makes up the Indonesian Archipelago. Bali is small, stretching approximately 140 km from east to west and 80 km from north to south. Slightly off centre, and running east to west, are a string of volcanic mountains. The tallest is Gunung Agung, which last erupted in 1963, and is 3,142 m. at its highest point.
Lying just 8° south of the Equator, Bali boasts a tropical climate with just two seasons, wet and dry, a year and an average annual temperature of around 28° C. The rich volcanic soil and healthy monsoon season make this island extremely fertile and a range of crops are grown here. The wide and gently sloping southern regions play host to Bali's famed rice terraces, among some of the most spectacular in the world. In the hilly, northern coastal regions, the main produce is coffee, copra, spices, vegetables, cattle and rice.
The Balinese people have strong spiritual roots and despite the large influx of tourists over the years, their culture is still very much alive. The main religion is Agama Hindu Dharma, which arrived in Bali with the spread of Hinduism through Sumatra and Java during the 11th century. Although originally from India, the Balinese religion is a unique blend of Hindu, Buddhist, Javanese and ancient indigenous beliefs, with customs that are very different from the traditional from of Hinduism practiced in India today. With the arrival of Islam in neighbouring Java during the 15th century, a large number of courtiers, artists, musicians and craftsmen fled to Bali, creating an artistic renaissance.
Naturally creative, the Balinese have traditionally used their talents for religious purposes and most of the beautiful work to be seen here, has been inspired by stories from the Ramayana and other Hindu epics. The incredibly colourful cremation pyres and the everyday offerings to the gods, placed inside every shop and business, are made with an eye for detail and beauty.
The majority of Bali's 3,000,000 people live, for the most part, in tight village communities with large extended families. The largest towns are the capital Denpasar, population approximately 450,000 and Singaraja in the north. The main tourist area is Kuta, situated near the airport. This small sleepy village became a major attraction during the tourist boom of the 70's, because of its famed white-sand beaches, the surf, and stunning sunsets.
Today, Kuta is a major hustling and bustling resort town, with hundreds of hotels, bars, restaurants and shops. Those in search of a little peace and quiet tend to head for the more sedate resorts of Sanur and Candi Dasa, on the east coast,or Lovina in the north. Nusa Dua, another tourist enclave on the southernmost peninsula of the island, caters for the more up-market crowd and is home to almost all of the bigger 5-star hotels. The central village of Ubud, in the hilly region of Gianyar, has also blossomed as a tourist attraction and is now considered to be the artistic and cultural centre of Bali.
Bali Island Villas
Located within the vibrant pulse of Seminyak, is a private complex of 10 self-contained luxury villas. Although very much a part of Bali’s most cosmopolitan district, the villas remain a calming niche ideal for a leisurely break.
Villa Living
Each one-bedroom villa shares a common infra-structure that evokes the sense of residential living within a small community. A fully equipped gourmet kitchen, dining and lounge area is an integrated environment that personifies contemporary Bali.
The spaciously appointed master bedroom is bathed in natural sunlight that filters through full-length glass paneled doors. There is a walk-in wardrobe and spa-inspired en-suite bathroom in cool grey tones with double vanity and sunken tub for two.
Each villa merges seamlessly into a landscaped garden that incorporates a private swimming pool and timber sundeck. A well concealed set of stairs leads to reveal a unique rooftop terrace with traditional Balinese lounging pavilion and ample space to entertain or soak up the sun.
Balinese Art
Artistically, Bali is and has always been a melting pot of cultures and traditions. The Balinese have a natural capacity for absorbing different cultural elements and blending them with their own, to produce dynamic new hybrids. Over the years, Bali has been the recipient of numerous foreign influences, namely Chinese, Buddhist, Indian, Hindu, Javanese, and most recently, Western. For centuries, artists and craftsmen in Bali worked under the patronage of the priests and the ruling classes, decorating palaces and temples. The artists themselves never signed their work and usually lived close together in artists "villages"
Generally the artists did not have much room for personal expression, as their designs followed strict aesthetic and religious guidelines, but with the arrival of European artists at the start of this century, things began to change, and Balinese artists began developing their own individual styles.
PAINTING
The place synonymous with the traditional form of Balinese painting, is the village of Kamasan, near Klungkung. Up until the beginning of this century, and under service of the king of Gelgel and Klungkung, it was only natural that the painters and illustrators, called "Sangging", should settle in this one area. As it was not uncommon for ruling families from other parts of Bali to acquire the use of a Sangging to decorate their own palaces or temples, the Kamasan style of painting quickly spread throughout the whole of Bali.
The style for which the artists of Kamasan are famous is based on the East Javanese "Wayang" art. These were basically two-dimensional, iconographic representations following strict rules and guidelines as to how the characters should be portrayed. For example, a person's characters and status can be seen from the colours used to portray them, a noble man's headdress, or even the direction in which he is facing. Noblemen always have had very refined faces, while coarse characters were depicted with large, bulging eyes and fangs. Today in Kamasan you can still find people who are dedicated to painting in the traditional "Wayang" style.
One of the most famous Kamasan artists is I Nyoman Mandra, who, aside from producing his own paintings and doing restoration work, started a school to try and keep the "Wayang" tradition alive.
It wasn't until the early 1900's, that western influence reached Bali . The use of Asian symbols in the works of, amongst others, Paul Gauguin, Toulouse Lautrec and Camille Pissaro, created a new trend for Asian-influenced art and European painters began to move to Bali. Ubud's fame for art can be traced to the arrival of the German painter, Walter Spies and the Dutch painter Rudolf Bonnet. Together, with Indonesian artists such as Gede Agung Sukawati, they established the Pitamaha Group, which encouraged Balinese artists to be more expressive and less bound by tradition.
Aside from the Kamasan school of painting, there now exists a wide range of different styles, the characteristics have been briefly listed below:
Ubud Style
Influences by the western use of perspective and everyday life subject matter, the Ubud style is one of the most 'Expressionist' of all the Balinese schools. Despite this, Ubud art still retains many traditional
features, including the attention to detail and very stylized characters. Among the better known (indigenous) Ubud artists are: Anak Agung Gede Sobrat, Ida Bagus Made, I Gusti Ketut Kobot, Dewa Putu Bedil and Made Sukada.
Batuan Style
Strongly "Wayang" based, this style involves hundreds of intricately painted representations of Balinese life, filling every available nook and cranny of the canvas. Batuan artists like I Wayan Bendi, Ni Wayan Warti and I Made Budi, make much more of a statement about life in Bali, with subject matter that includes everything from traditional village activities to camera toting tourists, & even surfers. Earlier Batuan artists, Ida Bagus Made Togog and Ida Bagus Made Wija, dealt more with the darker, supernatural side of life, with people depicted as being extremely vulnerable to the spirits and powers of nature.
Keliki Style
Keliki art is very similar to the old "Batuan Style" with the one exception being size; Keliki paintings measure 20 cm by 15 cm, and contain scenes of mythical and Ramayanic characters engaged in battle, good versus evil, on sinister backgrounds. Keliki artists also follow the tradition of the "Wayang" artists in that they seldom sign their work.
Pengosekan Style
From this village, on the outskirts of Ubud, a new style sprang up during the 60's that concentrated on just a few natural components such as birds, insects, butterflies and plants. These paintings tend to be more realistic and less expressive than the Ubud style.
Young Artists
A second movement, born of European influence, occurred in the early 60's, with the arrival of Arie Smit to the village of Penestanan. He encouraged the artists in this area to explore & experiment with vivid colours and more simple abstract forms. The paintings in this style are much more 'expressionist', with little attention to detail or perspective.
Among the better known of the "young artists" are: I Wayan Pugur, I Ketut Tangen, I Nyoman Londo and Ketut Soki.
STONE CARVING
Stone carvings were mainly used to decorate temples and palaces and the carvers had much more leeway in their use of subject matter than the artists and illustrators. 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. As well as portraying deities and demons, the carvers included many scenes from public life and there are many temple surfaces enriched with the antics of the Dutch colonists, including scenes of bicycles, drunken parties, car breakdowns and even airplanes.
Bali's modern day centre of stone carving is the village of Batubulan, situated along the route between Denpasar and Ubud.
In the temples in North Bali there would appear to be more creative works in stone (with the exception of Pura Puseh in Batubulan). If touring in the north of Bali, it is worth taking the time to visit Pura Meduwe Karang in Kubutambahan, Pura Dalem in Jagaraga and Pura Beji near Singaraja.
At Pura Sagen Agung in Ubud works by Bali's most famous stone carver, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, and other accomplished artists, are to be found.
TEXTILES
One of the most striking things about Bali is the rich variety of cloths and materials that are to be found in the thousands of shops across the island. However, in actual fact, very few originate here! The myriad of batik clothing and sarongs available across the island are mainly imported from Java, and most of the woven cloth (Ikat) found in and around the Kuta /Legian areas, are imported from the nearby islands of Sumba and Flores.
Bali does however, have a very rich textile industry of its own. The beautiful "Songket" fabrics worn by performers of traditional dance are a fine example. In Songket, gold and silver threads are woven into the cloth to create complex motifs of birds, butterflies and flowers, & sometimes they use so much gold and silver that the underlying cloth is barely visible.
"Endek", or "weft ikat" is another commonly used weaving method in Bali. In "weft" weaving, the "weft" threads are dyed to create the design and then are woven with plain warp threads. These pieces of cloth are recognizable by their abstract designs and bright colours.
The last common form of weaving to be seen in Bali is the "Geringsing", or double-ikat and it is perhaps the most sought after. A creation when 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, in East Bali.
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ooooooh...this is just making me missed Bali more and more....
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