Back from Bali

MFoD's Southeast Asia voyage has concluded, and so, to work.
The last leg of the trip found MFoD in Ubud, Bali. Situated in the mountains, rather than the oh-so-honkey-tonk beach area (why do beachfront resorts always stoop to the Least Common Denominator?), Ubud is the artistic center of Balinese culture, and reminds one somewhat of Provincetown, Massachussetts. However, while P-Town's art galleries are, as we speak, preparing for the summer season by adding unspeakable touristy canvases and "witty" sculptures to their inventories (LCD disease, once again), Ubud's galleries are committed to offering worthwhile items along with the schlock.
While the tonier galleries heavily feature canvases, the various woods of the island form much of the offerings in a typical shop. Masks, animal figures and religious symbols abound. Some of the items are hand-carved, but the bargain-hunter usually ends up with machine-tooled pieces, which nonetheless are accurate representations of local styles, both of Bali and of neighboring islands. Common to all of the wood pieces is a respect for the grain and colors inherent in the material, as well as a flair for design that appears to be naive, but is the result of a sophisticated approach to wood sculpture.
While most of the paintings available feature Hindu and Buddhist figures (Balinese religion is a mixture of both; more of that in a later post), the most important paintings of the "new" school feature vignettes of village life. This subject matter joined the ubiquitous renditions of Hindu mythology of earlier schools of painting (many stories from the glorious epic, Ramayana, are portrayed), and resulted from European influence. Dutch, German and British artists had, since the Middle Ages, portrayed village and farm life. This interest caught the imaginations of Balinese artists, who responded with vigorous paintings of the villages, markets, temple rituals and rice planting, sometimes all placed on one canvas. Some Balinese painters live to fill a large space with as much action and as many people as can fit into it. MFoD, being easily overwhelmed by sensory overload, approached those works with caution, but enjoyed the energy and life-affirming qualities of the artists. One humurous painting of the "overload" genre featured a visit by the late president Suharto to Bali. He and his stiff entourage stood slightly off-center, while, all around them daily life continued unperturbed, and uninterested in their state visit.
Bali is indeed no respecter of persons; everyone is approached and accepted on an equal level (one exception being members of Balinese royalty, who, far from being superior or remote, live to serve their people). The art reflects this equitable approach to life, a life that prides itself on a dedication to cheerful balance.