The Arts And Crafts In Bali

The Arts and Crafts in Bali

by

Kiara Brownell

A melting pot of cultures and traditions, in Bali, there is art, both traditional and modern, along with its crafts, everywhere.

For Bali villas resort guests and tourists, these renowned diverse and sophisticated Balinese arts and crafts, such as painting, sculpture, woodcarving, and handcrafts, are impossible to miss.

Of Hindu-Javanese origin that grew from the work of artisans of the Majapahit Kingdom, Balinese wonderful arts and crafts blame its creation, development and growth to the unique blend of Bali s culture, religion, and people.

For centuries, Balinese arts and crafts were focused on traditional motifs geared for Bali\’s temples and religious ceremonies. Nowadays, since the late 1920s, Balinese arts and crafts are more modern and daring, capturing scenes of everyday Bali life and landscapes.

To the Balinese, their personal artistic achievement is part of the religious experience.

From the 16th until the 20th century, the centre of classical Balinese art was the village of Kamasan, Klungkung in East Bali.

With the development of new varieties of Balinese arts and crafts during the first part of the 20th century, ever since the late 20th century, Ubud and its neighboring villages had established a reputation as the artistic capital of the island with several museums and a variety of informal workshops and retail outlets. Ubud and Batuan are known for their paintings, Mas for their woodcarvings, Celuk for gold and silver smiths, and Batubulan for their stone carvings.

Here are some Bali Arts and Crafts for guests on the many luxury villas in Bali to enjoy:Balinese Paintings

For centuries, prior to 1920s, the international art world paid little heed to the talented Balinese painters, who restrict their paintings to what is now known as the Kamasan or Wayang style. It is a traditional visual narrative of Hindu-Javanese epics geared for Bali\’s temples and religious ceremonies: the Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as a number of indigenous stories, such as the Panji narrative.

But with the arrival of many western artists in the 1920s, Bali became an artist enclave for avant-garde artists such as Walter Spies (German), Rudolf Bonnet (Dutch), Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur (Belgian), Arie Smit (Dutch) and Donald Friend (Australian) in more recent years.

Today, Balinese paintings now feature the Kamasan or wayang style, which are classical paintings. This showcases wayang figures, rich floral designs, and flame-and-mountain motifs characteristic of classical Balinese painting. Another is the Pita Maha, which literally means \’great vitality\’. This features works by western artists like Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet.

Other styles include the Young Artists, which paintings are characterized by \”child-like\” drawings that lack details and bright colors drawn with oil paint on canvas, and variants of the main Kamasan and Young Artists\’ styles.

Balinese Wood Carving

A craft practiced all over Bali, any guests from the many

villas to rent in Bali

are likely to see wood carving in all forms, be it the traditional ornate carved doors, the carved figures of gods, or the countless carved items in craft shops.

The Balinese wood carvings are sculpted with wood, stone, bone, horn, deadwood, and even gnarled tree roots.

Nowadays, there are souvenir-caliber Balinese wood carvings and successful creations are mass produced.

For quality wood carving, one can buy them at Tegallalang, Pujung, and Sebatu, which is north of Ubud.

Balinese Stone Carving

Balinese stone carvings used soft volcanic rock. Guests from

private villas in Bali

and tourists can see stone carving skills in the distinctive split gates, swirling stone friezes, and absurd and menacing mythological statuary. Kapal and Batubulan are the centers for stone carving.

Balinese Mask Carving

A specialized form of wood carving, Balinese mask carvings are executed by experts. Samples of these Balinese mask carvings are the masks of Barong and Rangda, which are opulently painted and assembled with real hair, enormous teeth, and bulging eyes. Mas and Puaya is the mask carving center of Bali

Balinese Jewelry

Along with Thailand and Mexico, Bali is also famous for its jewelry. As Balinese jewelry is almost always handmade, Balinese jewelry making rarely involves casting techniques or the usage of imported silver. There are silver that is mined in Bali near Singaraja. And these silver are used for filigree and other traditional silver work.

Balinese royal family members have been known to adorn themselves with gold and silver headdresses, belts, bracelets, earrings, anklets and necklaces to indicate their high status. Even the handles of their krises or daggers and umbrella finials are made of gold.

Celuk, Bali is known for its rings, bracelets, necklaces, pins, and other objects of silver whereas, Kamasan remains the center for traditional gold and silver jewelry.

Kiara Brownell is a traveler who loves to see beautiful places around the world. She already visited some of the top destinations in the world including the beautiful place of Bali. She recommends to visit

Seminyak Bali Villas

to find the best

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that suit your budget. Visit

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