Indonesian Kamasan Painting Ramayana Scenes
AGE: – Mid 1970’s
HEIGHT: – 84cm
WIDTH: –60cm
#1200 – PRICE: CONTACT
Mid-1970s Traditional Indonesian Kamasan Painting Ramayana Scenes From Bali, showing multiple scenes, each separated by stylized brown formations with a lack of perspective. The scenes are depictions of events that take place in the famous classical Hindu epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata, each scene telling its own story. The characters within these paintings are also the same characters depicted in the Wayang-style puppet shows, popular in both Java and Bali.
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Typically the
painted scenes are generally a little chaotic with nothing standing out that would be meaningful for the foreign audience, but those who are familiar with the Ramayana and Mahabharata will recognize some of the characters within the scenes.
This style of painting in these Kamasan paintings originated from East Java Majapahit Empire from the 13th to 16th Century, expanding into Bali in the latter part of the 13th century. From the 16th to 20th century the village of Kamasan, in the kingdom of klungkung in east Bali was the centre for classical Balinese art, thus the name Kamasan paintings.
Animals and coarse characters have pointed teeth and large mouths and the demons have fangs. Animals are normally shown in profile whereas humans are seen in a three-quarter view with the chest and shoulders facing the viewer with the feet and legs seen from the side.
Demons are painted darker than humans. Noble male eyes have the top part of the eye curved and the bottom part a straight line. For females, it is the reverse. The outside border of the paintings resembles a carved wooden frame next to an inner red stripe. These are all characteristics of traditional Kamasan-style Balinese painting.
Kamasan artists served the kings of Gelgel from the 16th century, it is they who made these unique wayang artworks in this style. They are mostly painted on a calico-type material.
