Art

Item Description

Traditional Indonesian painting on cloth, 45 x 45 inches, circa 1938.

A note from the donor, David Martin:

In 1938/39, my father, a New York City HS English teacher, took a sabbatical, and he and my mother traveled around the world. Literally and by freighter. My mother collected this art when they were in Indonesia: Bali and Java and I’m not sure where else. The painting tells a ancient Balinese legend. A look into the past. But while they were traveling the world was on the brink of World War II. In Japan they saw that the country appeared militarized. But nothing seemed to affect their trip until the very end. They arrived in England earlier than expected. Since they were ready to get home, they rebooked passage back to New York onto ship set to sail sooner. Because of that you are able to see these pieces and I am able to offer them to Catamount. Their scheduled ship was torpedoed crossing the Atlantic.

On Kamasan Paintings (source):

 The two dimensional Kamasan compositions generally depict three levels: the upper level is the realm of the Gods and the benevolent deities, the middle level occupied by kings and the aristocracy, and the lower third belongs to humans and demonic manifestations. Details in facial features, costumes, body size and skin colour indicate specific rank, figure or character type. Darker skin and big bodies are typical of ogres, light skin and finely portioned bodies are Gods and kings. Rules control the depiction of forms; there are three or four types of eyes, five or six different postures and headdresses. The position of the hands indicates questions and answers, command and obedience.

The narratives are from the Hindu and Buddhist sacred texts of Javanese-Balinese folktales and romances: the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Sutasoma, Tantri, also from Panji. Astrological and earthquake charts are also depicted. Major mythological themes are rendered in great symmetry, while these paintings contain high moral standards and function to express honourable human virtues to society with the intent to encourage peace and harmony. A beautiful painting communicates balance, aesthetically and metaphorically, and is equated to the artist achieving union with the divine.

Traditional Kamasan painting is not static and keeps evolving as subtle changes have occurred over time as each artist has their own style, composition and use of colour. It is common that new works regularly replace old and damaged ones and hence Kamasan painting is an authentic living Balinese tradition.