| Since before World War II traditional sacred paintings for family and village temples have been produced in many parts of Bali outside the village of Kamasan, the source of virtually all traditional Balinese paintings in museum collections. Yet non-Kamasan paintings have received scant attention in the academic literature.; Based on sacred narrative, sacred painting shows a fundamental relationship to wayang (the shadow theater). Both are manifestations of a communal vision. The painters' two most important esthetic criteria are skilled craftsmanship and fidelity to a wayang ideal. In both wayang and paintings, only two parties are present in any one scene. In wayang, the "good" (superior) party is always on the audience's left; in paintings the orientation varies locally. Wayang puppets from north Bali are recognizably different from those of the south; paintings show corresponding differences. Within these two regions, local and sometimes individual painting styles can be identified.; Sacred painting, like Balinese temple sculpture, wayang, dance and music, is a living, vibrant folk art. Exposure of traditional painters and their clients to modern media and school art classes has made realistic anatomy, perspective and scenery---all departures from the traditional wayang canon---commonplace in sacred painting. Modern materials---oil-base paints, plywood, glass---have been used for decades by traditional painters throughout Bali, except in Kamasan, where 90% of production, including sundry decorated souvenir objects as well as paintings, now goes to the tourist market. Kamasan paintings, produced with the old technology in the style once dominant in south Bali, are now seldom seen in temples outside Kamasan, but ubiquitous in shops and hotels catering to tourists.; Unlike the commercial paintings for which Bali is famous, sacred paintings, once they are dedicated in a temple, are believed to possess spiritual power. Yet they are not preserved as "works of art," but are regarded as craft products made for a specific purpose, and expected to wear out in time. |
