Batik, Ikat, Painting — The Ubud and Batuan Schools
The four Balinese painting schools of Ubud, Batuan, Kamasan, and Keliki. The textile crafts of Batik (dye) and Ikat (weave). A fusion of 1930s Walter Spies / Rudolf Bonnet modernism with the Wayang tradition.
Bali's 2D crafts — painting, batik, ikat. Four painting schools of Ubud, Batuan, Kamasan, Keliki fuse millennial tradition with 1930s modernism. The arc moves from Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) style → Pita Maha modernism → modern abstraction. In textiles, the lineage weaving of Bali Batik, Endek (Ikat), Songket. The world of paintings and cloth that foreign tourists encounter as Balinese-style interior.
A. The 4 Schools of Balinese Painting
1. Kamasan School (Klungkung)
- Most traditional, royal patronage
- Wayang Kulit shadow-puppet style
- Mahabharata, Ramayana narratives
- Painted on cloth (Kain)
- Plant-based pigments — earth, stones, plants
- 2D, frontal, planar
- Pura, Geria ceiling paintings
2. Ubud School (Gianyar)
- 1930s Pita Maha modernism
- Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet influence
- Perspective, light / shade (Western)
- Balinese daily life + myth + nature
- I Gusti Nyoman Lempad (1862–1978) — master
- Anak Agung Gde Sobrat, I Ketut Soki
3. Batuan School (Gianyar)
- Dark and detailed — thousands of tiny figures
- Narrower palette than Ubud
- Magic, Bhuta Kala, demonic elements
- Masters — I Made Budi, Ida Bagus Made
- Batuan village — meditative-painting village
4. Keliki School (Gianyar)
- Between Ubud and Batuan
- Detail-rich, small format
- Tradition + modern fusion
5. Modern Abstract (1980s on):
- Made Wianta, Nyoman Erawan and others
- Western abstraction + Balinese spirituality
- International museum collections
Sources: Balinese painting · Pita Maha
B. Walter Spies and the 1930s Revolution
Walter Spies (1895–1942):
- German-born painter / composer
- Settled in Java 1923, in Bali 1927
- Sponsored by Cokorda Agung Sukawati of Ubud
- Tjampuan house — center of Bali's art movement
Contributions:
- Introduced Western perspective and chiaroscuro to Balinese art
- Co-founded the Pita Maha Association (1936)
- Co-developed the modern Kecak dance (1930)
- Many films and photographs of Bali
Rudolf Bonnet (1895–1978):
- Dutch painter
- Worked with Spies in Pita Maha
- Co-founded Museum Puri Lukisan
- Discovered and sponsored Balinese artists
Pita Maha Association (1936–58):
- Cokorda Agung Sukawati + Spies + Bonnet
- Bali artists' association
- Tradition + Western aesthetics fusion
- International exhibition / sales pipeline
- Produced Ida Bagus Tilem, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad
WWII tragedy:
- Spies — died in Japanese bombing in 1942
- Bonnet — interned by Japan, survived
- Pita Maha paused, resumed in the 1950s
Influence:
- Origin of all modern Balinese painting schools
- Formed the image of Bali — the world's art island
- Beginning of foreigner + Balinese collaboration
Sources: Walter Spies · Vickers A., Bali: A Paradise Created (2012)
C. Textile Crafts — Batik, Ikat, Songket
1. Batik:
- Wax-resist pattern → dye → remove wax
- Java is the homeland — Bali secondary
- Bali Batik — more colorful and simpler than Java
- Common at Ubud, Sukawati Pasar
- Sarong / Kebaya / interior cloth
2. Ikat / Endek:
- Balinese ikat = Endek
- Threads dyed before weaving
- Homelands — Klungkung, Sidemen, Tabanan
- Geringsing — double ikat of Tenganan Bali Aga (globally rare)
- Endek Bali — officially Bali's formal dress (2021 governor decision)
3. Songket:
- Woven with gold / silver thread
- Klungkung, Sidemen masterworks
- Royal / wedding garments
- Premium — Rp 1–10M / set
4. Prada:
- Stenciled gold-leaf cloth
- Topeng, Legong dance costumes
- Ritual banners / cloth
5. Modern designers:
- Putu Aliki, Bin House, Tjok Abi
- Tradition + modern fashion
- International fashion-week appearances
Sources: Endek · Geringsing · The Jakarta Post — Balinese textiles
D. Geringsing — The World-Rare Double Ikat
Geringsing (Tenganan, Karangasem):
- Millennium transmission of the Bali Aga village (2.2.1)
- Double ikat — both warp and weft pre-dyed
- Globally very rare (only parts of Indonesia / India)
- Spiritual meaning — Geringsing = cloth that wards off illness
Production process:
- Cotton growing → thread → design → dye → weave
- One cloth — 2–5 years
- Natural dyes — plant / insect
- Traditional loom
Ritual uses:
- Tenganan village ritual attire
- Weddings, tooth-filing, Ngaben
- Banten cloth
- External sale — limited, premium
Price: Rp 5–50M per cloth (USD $350–3,500)
Modern crisis:
- Successor shortage in Tenganan
- Bali Aga population decline
- External imitation market
- Attempts at UNESCO intangible heritage listing
Sources: Geringsing · Reuter T., Custodians of the Sacred Mountains (2002)
E. The Foreigner's View — Collecting, Sponsoring, Souvenirs
1. Museum visits
| Museum | Location | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Museum Puri Lukisan | Ubud | Pita Maha home, classical |
| ARMA — Agung Rai Museum | Ubud | Broad collection, education programs |
| Neka Art Museum | Ubud | Private collection, diverse |
| Blanco Renaissance | Ubud | Antonio Blanco (foreigner painter) |
| Museum Pasifika | Nusa Dua | Southeast Asia, Pacific |
2. Buying at galleries
- Ubud Tjampuhan / Penestanan — artist galleries
- Authentic + certified
- Price — Rp 1M–1B
- International shipping help
3. Buying at Pasar
- Sukawati Pasar — largest craft market
- Ubud Art Market — foreigner friendly
- Bargain start at 50%
- Many copies / souvenirs
4. Buying textiles
- Klungkung, Sidemen — Endek directly
- Tenganan — Geringsing (limited)
- Denpasar — general Batik shops
- Custom — sarong, Kebaya sets
5. Foreigner-collector activity
- Ubud Writers and Readers Festival — every October
- Bali Art Walk (artists' open studios)
- Sponsoring international Bali collections
- Supporting artists' overseas exhibitions
6. Shipping / customs
- Hand-luggage-safe works
- Large — DHL, sea freight
- Customs — declare USD $300+
- Bali customs — relatively lenient on art
Bali = Living Museum — In other countries art sits inside museums; in Bali, artists' workshops are the museum and daily life is art. Mas wood-carving households, Celuk silver workshops, Ubud painter studios, Tenganan Geringsing looms are living museums. A foreigner who lives in Bali 5+ years naturally gains 1–2 Balinese-artist friends. Supporting Balinese art is more effective through direct artist purchase, exhibition sponsorship, commissioning than museum entry fees. Ida Bagus Tilem (wood carving), I Gusti Nyoman Lempad (painting), Tenganan's anonymous weavers — descendants of these three masters are shaping Bali art's present.
Quick Summary
| Field | Center | Masters |
|---|---|---|
| Kamasan School | Klungkung | Traditional Wayang style |
| Ubud School | Gianyar | Lempad, Sobrat, Spies / Bonnet |
| Batuan School | Gianyar | I Made Budi, Ida Bagus Made |
| Modern Abstract | Bali-wide | Wianta, Erawan |
| Batik | Java homeland · Bali secondary | — |
| Endek (Ikat) | Klungkung, Sidemen | — |
| Geringsing (double ikat) | Tenganan (Karangasem) | Globally rare |
| Songket | Klungkung, Sidemen | Gold / silver thread |
Sources / References
- Wiki — Balinese painting · Pita Maha · Walter Spies · Endek · Geringsing · Songket · Batik
- Official — Museum Puri Lukisan · ARMA Museum · Bali Provincial Government — Endek 2021 mandate · Ubud Writers Festival
- News — The Jakarta Post — Bali art / textiles · Bali Post — Pita Maha / Lempad · Tempo — Geringsing crisis · Bali Discovery — foreigner museum guide
- Academic — Vickers A., Bali: A Paradise Created (Periplus, 2012); Picard M., Bali: Cultural Tourism and Touristic Culture (Archipelago Press, 1996); Hobart M. (ed.), The Art and Culture of Bali (1995); Reuter T., Custodians of the Sacred Mountains (University of Hawaii Press, 2002); Geertz C., Negara (Princeton, 1980)
