| I Gusti Nyoman Lempad |
| Description: BALI’S MOST WELL-KNOWN ARTIST, I Gudti Nyoman Lempad (1862-1978), was born in the village of Bedahulu in Gianyar, south-central Bali. He was a master artisan, carver, and architect. His ink drawings on paper, many with touches of color, are internationally famous. Their clarity, expression, composition, and form are unmatched to this very day. Lempad’s narrative works focus on figures, movements, and details. The blank backgrounds, a feature seen in traditional drawings for amulets, death shrouds, and some styles of manuscript illustrations, evoke the appearance of wayang kulit (leather puppets) figures against a plain white screen. Lempad illustrated famous and lesser known episodes from Indian epic mythology and Balinese folklore. He often added erotic and humorous elements. Many of his drawings were done as a series of narrative episodes, the traditional manner of doing prasi (illustrations for stories) on dried lontar (palmyra palm) leaves or paper. The artist lived most of his very long and productive life in Ubud, where his family, due to political problems during the late 1800s, had moved to when he still was a young child. Lempad designed a part of the royal residence and a temple in Ubud. He knew most of the famous foreigners who lived in or visited Bali from the 1920s until his death in 1978. Many of Lempad’s works were collected by the artist Walter Spies (German, 1895-1942). When Nazi Germany invaded Holland in 1940, Spies and other German nationals living in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) were arrested by the colonial authorities. Spies brought along with him to Batavia (Jakarta) a series of ten drawings by Lempad of the Brayut folk tale, which he left for safekeeping with his friend M. Bruyns. Spies was killed during World War II when the ship Van Imhoff transferring him to a detention camp in ceylon (Sri Lanka) was hit and sunk by a Japanese bomb. Before Bruyns died in 1980 he gave the works which Spies had left with him to Dr. Jacob Vredenbreght. In 1984, Vredenbreght presented these ten drawings to the Neka Museum. Along with seven other pieces, the Neka Art Museum now has one of the largest single collections of works by lempad. Awards: Piagam Anugerah Seni (Indonesia, 1970), Wijaya Kusuma (Indonesia , 1975), Dharma Kusuma (Bali, 1982). Collection: Tropenmuseum (Amsterdam), Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde (Leiden), Museum fur Volkenkunde (Basel). Exhibitions: East West Center (Honolulu, 1998), Singapore Art Museum (1994), Museum Nasional (Jakarta, Indonesia, 1995), Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Jakarta, 1996), Indonesia-Japan Friendship Festival (Morioka, Tokyo, 1997). |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Description: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In Bali the widow-witch rangda symbolizes all the negative forces in the universe. She is the queen of black magic, illness, death, and the cemetery. Due to her superiority, however, she protects people who honor and respect her from all lesser forms of evil. Folowers of the protective barong, a fabulous lion-like creature who embodies everything that is positive, attack her during ritual exorcist performances. These entranced “dancers” are repelled by her powerful magic and stab themselves with sharp keris (daggers). The power of the barong prevents them from inflicting self-injury. | |||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Description: | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
In Bali the protective spirit known as the barong, a fantastic lion-like creature, represents all the positive forces of the cosmos. In riual performance he battles against the widow-witch rangda, who symbolizes everything that is negative. She repels the entranced followers of the barong, who try to attack rangda, forcing them to stab themselves with sharp keris (daggers). The barong prevents them from self-harm. A temple priest dressed in a magically protective poleng (checkered cloth) revives them with sprinkles of holy water. In the background a sinister looking masked jauk dancer, follower of rangda, watches the scene. Anonymous gift in memory of Claire Holt (U.S.A.) |
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Description: | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Before she was married, Mother Brayut (center) was very skilled weaver of all kinds of traditional Balinese textiles. However, caring for the eighteen children which she gave birth to exhausted her and left little time for practicing this art. With her spinning wheel and thread holder nearby, Mother Brayut suckles a child at each breast while others pick out lice from her hair, fight, or continue to bother her in the Brayutfolktale. Formerly owned by Walter Spies (Germany) gift of Dr. Jacob Vredenbreght (Jakarta, Indonesia) |
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Description: | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Brayut family celebrates their father’s spiritual success by eating together for a ritual feast in the Brayut folktale. Mounds of food are placed on low dulang or wanci (pedestals) for such formal or ritual meals. The Balinese prefer to eat with their hands instead of utensils. A pair of pigs joins the family. Daily meals usually are eaten alone or with very little socializing , whereas festive meals are quite noisy communal affairs. Formerly owned by Walter Spies (Germany) gift of Dr. Jacob Vredenbreght (Jakarta, Indonesia) |
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Description: | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
In the Balinese folktale of Rajapala, a handsome young man named Rajapala (Nutmeg King) steals the clothing of the heavenly nymph Ken Sulasih while she is bathing. Unable to fly away, she becomes his wife. After giving birth to their son Durma, Sulasih returns to heaven. Heartbroken, Rajapala retires to the forest and is never seen again. Dhurma is cared for by a royal family, but when he grows up he wants to find his parents. He searches in the forest for his father and meets many dangers along the way, including an ogress who wants to marry him. His adoptive royal family sends out soldiers to save him . With divine assistance Durma (left) finally meets his winged mother (center) as another youth (right) watches. He never finds his father, however. Gift of the artist |
|||||||||||||||||||||