Rock art
The world's oldest figurative drawing is found in Indonesia. The first human representation appeared in the Maros-Pangkep caves on the island of Sulawesi. Negative handprints and animals drawn with red and violet pigments were discovered in the rock shelters by archaeologists in 1906. Excavations continued and, more recently, the first hunting scene in human history was unearthed. The latest studies date it at 43,900 years old, putting it ahead of Chauvet (38,000 years and its famous rhinoceros). This dating calls into question the theories that place the origins of art in Europe. On a 4.5-metre-long wall, the scene shows hunters with spears and ropes pursuing six pigs or buffalo seen in profile. Even more astonishing, the hunters have human bodies but animal heads. That's why specialists have speculated that these drawings are the result of beliefs.
Figuration and religion
Indonesian art remains attached to figuration. After animism and ancestor worship, the islands adopted Indian beliefs, as did the whole of Southeast Asia. Buddhism and Hinduism dominated local culture for centuries. This is even truer in Sumatra and Java. But when Islam took control of Java in the 16th century, Hindu princes fled with their followers and craftsmen and settled in Bali.
Paintings, sculptures and masks had a religious purpose, and their execution had to conform to symbolic rules. For example, pratima statues, effigies of the visiting gods, are crafted from precise materials, according to codified iconographies and left in the altars of sanctuaries. By contrast, the bas-reliefs recounting man's descent into hell occupy the lower, more impure part of the temple. Even the jewels are imbued with religious significance. Kriss, as symbols of descent, are forged by the Pandequi and subjected to special rites. And the making of all these objects is governed by a calendar of prohibitions and rites. Only a few days and a few hours are propitious, although ceremonies must be respected.
The artist is the conveyor of traditions and tales. Ancient illustrated lontars (or bamboo books) can be seen at the Singaraja Library, Sukawati and Karangasem. The paintings, executed on local cotton fabric, were intended to contain narrative scenes and be assigned to specific locations. Temple "parba" panels were to be decorated with divine figures. Paintings on garments were to contain illustrations that were only uncovered on certain occasions, such as weddings.
Classical paintings were to remain faithful to the wayang kulit, the scenic representation of the epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Even today, the Balinese love to attend warang kulit. It was the painters' job to cut the figures from leather and tell the same stories using the same iconography. As guardians of traditional values, Indonesian artists have been protected for centuries by the courts of the kingdoms. The result is tangible in gria, brahmin houses, temples and palaces. The most famous are those painted on the ceiling of the Kerta Gosa(Kertha Gosa Park) in Klungkung, the kingdom's former court of justice.
Sculptures and masks
In sculpture, the laws are dictated by the material. Tribes practiced both wood and stone carving. The art of stone carving developed between the 8th and 15th centuries. It was influenced by Hindu-Buddhist beliefs, as can be seen in the important temple of Borobudur (8th-9th centuries, central Java), famous in particular for its Borobudur Buddha, the very image of serenity. Another highly symbolic site is the Prambanan plain. Also known as Candi Rara Jonggran, this site in Yogyakarta comprises 240 temples. An engraving dates its foundation to 856. Dedicated to Shiva's wife, the main temple features battle scenes between Good and Evil. The main deities, including Brahma, Shiva, Ganesh and Vishnu, appear in the bas-reliefs.
Woodcarving is traditionally practiced by the Asmat, Dayak, Nias and Toraja tribes. Several regions are renowned for their woodcarving: Jepara (Java) as well as Bali and its surrounding villages such as Mas and Ubud.
Masks are an integral part of rituals. Worn during dances, they help tell Hindu tales and legends. Originally, they also helped establish a link with the spirits. As such, these objects are sacred and made according to precise codes, handed down from father to son. The two most common characters are Barong and Rangda, present since animist times. They can even be found in advertisements and tourist souvenirs. Barong sports a lion's mane, while Rangda looks like a witch with tangled hair and long tusks. For Indonesians, any creature can be malevolent or benevolent, and evil is often victorious. Barong embodies justice. Rangda's face is often covered by a veil to prevent people from looking at her, who represents bad luck and evil powers. In masked dances, Barong and Rangda face off, adorned with golden jewels.
Ubud and Klungkung
In the 16th century, under Islamic domination, Bali became the land of exile for Hindu princes and Indonesian craftsmen. Artistic production in the Hindu era relied on the princes and their entourage. Palaces and pavilions were adorned with wood panels, paintings and finely crafted objects. Decoration, music and dance are all part of the religious rituals. It is this link between beauty and ritual that explains why the culture has remained so vigorous. Sculptors, painters, dancers and musicians put their skills to good use at major events.
In the early years of the 20th century, the Dutch exerted their power, particularly in the education system. The colony was forced to open up to tourism, a change reflected in the Balinese arts. Craftsmen began to see their work as art. They diversified techniques, genres and themes. Under Western influence, ancestral conventions underwent a profound upheaval. Representations of Hindu epics gave way to scenes of daily life and landscapes. The Museum Bali in Denpasar traces this transformation, exhibiting Indonesian art from prehistory to the 20th century. Also in Denpasar, the Taman Budaya arts center combines exhibitions and sales of local creations.
The cultural center has now moved to Ubud. Walter Spies (1895-1942), musician and painter, arrived in Ubud in 1927 at the invitation of the King of Ubud, Cokorda Raka Sukawati, who saw the role that culture and art could play. Thanks to Walter Spies, painters in and around Ubud adopted new techniques and sought inspiration in different themes. The artistic revolution had begun. Another European, the Dutch painter Rudolf Bonnet (1895-1978), settled in Ubud in 1929, reinforcing the European artistic influence. These expatriate artists captured Balinese landscapes, daily life and the thousand details of religious life on canvas. They also worked from live models, and encouraged the Balinese to do the same. To this end, they distribute paper, canvas, brushes and colors to Balinese people accustomed to painting on Nusa Penida canvas cut-outs, using natural pigments. The concept of space is different in Balinese art. The entire canvas space is filled, without recourse to perspective. Spies and Bonnet introduce a new approach to space and its representation, and guide their local colleagues in the development of an individual consciousness. The latter began to sign their works and become, in the European sense of the term, "artists". The movement spread beyond the small village of Ubud. Soon, painters were coming from all over to ask for advice. Inspired by this enthusiasm, Bonnet, Spies and the King of Ubud founded the "Pitamaha" association in 1936. The tradition has continued to this day, with Ubud remaining the heart of Balinese creativity, where artists willingly share their knowledge.
Paint
Traditional painting is centered in East Bali, in Klungkung, also known as Emarapura. The seat of the last kingdom to resist colonization, the city enjoyed a golden age in ancient times. Klungung's painters maintained a tradition that limited pictorial art to its narrative function. The village of Kamasan is also renowned for its painters, and the creation of panels for shrines and astrological calendars.
Painting was reinvented with the arrival of European artists. The Dutchman Bonnet and the German Spies were the main initiators of this opening up to Western influences.
In the 19th century, Raden Saleh (1811-1880) laid the foundations for modern Indonesian painting. Of Arab-Javanese origin, Raden Saleh was born into a wealthy family on the island of Java. Enrolled at the Dutch School, he met the Belgian Antoine Payen, commissioned by the Ministry to paint landscapes of Java. Payen noticed the boy's talent and introduced him to European painting techniques. As a teenager, he was sent to train in the Netherlands. He stayed in France, admiring Delacroix and Romanticism. His painting Chasse au taureau sauvage, found in the cellar of a private home in Morbihan, sold for 7.2 million euros in 2018. The work returned to Indonesia in the suitcases of a Jakarta collector.
Following in Raden Saleh's footsteps, a popular genre is developing in Indonesia, that of romantic scenes implanted in local life. The Pita Maha collective (1936) was founded with the help of the King of Ubud. Some artists achieve international renown.
Modernism
Artist Nyoman Gunarsa (1944-2017) is the undisputed master of contemporary Indonesian art. After an academic training, the painter developed the "Indonesian School" style, treating Balinese and Hindu traditions with an expressionist vocabulary. The movements and tonalities of Indonesian dance are reflected in his intense canvases. Religious figures display emotions of bliss. He founded the Sanggar Dewata Indonesia group in 1970, then organized exhibitions around the world without leaving his native island. Winner of numerous awards, he opened two museums on the island, in Yogyakarta and Klungklung.
The Gunarsa Museum of Classical & Modern Art, set up by the painter not far from his home in Banda, houses classical and contemporary art. Ancient sculptures, masks, bark paintings and works by the master are spread over three floors.
New trends in painting
After the Second World War and the independence crisis, Bali experienced a new creative boom in the 1960s and 1970s.
Arie Smit (1916), who arrived in Penestanan in 1956, distributed tubes of color to the younger generation. This gave rise to a new style of thick highlights and extravagant subjects. Batuan artists indulged in the joys of detail, developing a school of breathtakingly beautiful miniatures based on the principle of Indian ink washes. Little by little, Bali attracted painters from Javanese and other parts of Indonesia, such as Affandi, Srihadi and many others. Their work, long a prisoner of European academicism, flooded the market.
A new generation of painters, coming from the academies of Java and Denpasar, successfully tackled abstract painting. Tusan conceived a "Balinese-style" cubism, while Gunarsa leaned towardsaction-painting. Only Made Wianta develops his own style, based on subtle chromatic research, enhancing abstract volumes through systematic use of detail.
Urban expression
Contemporary Indonesian art encompasses all modes of expression and styles. Ancestral traditions, beliefs and visual innovations happily coexist.
Street art is flourishing in Indonesia. Although it is not officially tolerated, the government is beginning to call on graffiti artists. The most famous are Anagard, Dnztwo, Bujangan Urban and Quint. Some of them collaborated on the "rainbow village". The government commissioned them to reinvigorate the village of Kampung Pelangi in Java. And they succeeded! The multicolored facades have clearly made this village attractive.
In southern Bali, in Canggu, a multitude of frescoes and graffiti cover the walls. To locate the center of local urban culture, follow the Raya Canggu road in the direction of Tanah Lot. From equipment and clothing to a specialized art gallery, it's all there for the taking. Allcaps was born of Julien Thorax's desire to offer a place where people could exchange ideas and paint on the beach or near the rice paddies. Before he moved in, the locality was a fishing village that attracted a trendy crowd. In addition to the TROPICA festival, Allcaps offers street-art tours to discover Bali through urban culture. This event is also a bonus for Artivism. The environment and gender equality are defended on this occasion, between painted decors and natural settings.
Jakarta has been the capital of street art since 2011. The Jakarta Sunday Street Art Movement was held that year. While the aim of these pacifist artists was to spread messages of peace throughout the archipelago, many of them made a name for themselves thanks to this event. Today in Jakarta, lovers of urban frescoes can be found on Jalan Cikini Raya.
Contemporary scene
The contemporary landscape is characterized by its plurality and vitality. The emergence of new talent is rapidly propelling Indonesia to international prominence. The opening in 2017 of the Museum of Modern Art Nusantara (MACAN) in Jakarta provides a quality platform for visual artists from all horizons. Leading the way is Masriadi artist I Nyoman, who is attracting collectors from abroad. Born in 1973, the figurative painter is the headliner of the current scene. I Nyoman Masriadi mixes Indonesian history and contemporary life with great humor. His characters are somewhere between cartoon heroes, archetypes and divinities. A keen observer of today's society, he created quite a stir at the Art Jakarta 2022 fair.
Christine Ay Tjoe is Indonesia's best-known female artist. Born in 1973, Christine Ay Tjoe studied in Bandung, Germany and Singapore. Mixing abstraction and figuration, she is known for her ultra-colorful canvases, installations and protean sculptures.
