Those Fabulous Keliki Miniatures

[Roy]

I just realized that we don’t have a Balinese Culture segment on this forum, so I’m parking this post here, and maybe Bert will consider a new section for future posts?

Not too far north and east of where we live in Bunutan is a beautiful little village called Keliki Kawan It’s not to be found in any tourist guides, nor does it even appear in most tourist maps. As such, they rarely see western tourists. Keliki Kawan remains one of those classic Balinese villages with virtually no western influence. It is beautiful and with meticulously maintained compounds and gardens.

Keliki Kawan is home to a small group of exceptional artists who for many years specialized in painting incredible miniature paintings in the classic traditional Ubud style. These magnificent little gems, often no larger than 16 X 12 cm, (about 6 by 5 inches), present details and fine coloring that defy understanding how they are possible.

Most of the artists who paint these miniatures only do so for a few years and while they are young. The demand on their eyesight coupled with the tremendous amount of time needed to paint on such a small scale results in their abandoning this technique and moving on to larger wall hanging size paintings. Worse yet, is that during the last five years, fewer and fewer of the Keliki Kawan artists even bother to learn the specialized miniature techniques. This tradition is dying, having fallen prey to the desires of a younger generation of Balinese who prefer things to be easier and less time demanding to earn a living. Understandable as that is, who cannot be saddened by what we call progress?

As with any school of Balinese painting that is highly prized and sought after, copyists attempt to emulate the Keliki Kawan miniatures, and they can often be found in art markets. They are easy to spot once one has been exposed to the real masterpieces as painted by the Keliki Kawan masters.

I started seriously collecting these miniatures on my first visit to Bali some ten years ago. Having amassed a collection of over 50 pieces, I recently agreed to sell all but ten of these to a collector in Philadelphia who has already bequeathed them to a major museum in Pennsylvania. Last Saturday, Eri and I met with many of the artists whose works are in this collection to inform them of the details of this event and to inform them that their work will forever be housed in this museum as a testament of Balinese culture, and in particular, the fine miniature tradition of Keliki Kawan. We wanted them to know that unlike the vast majority of Balinese art which ends up being sold as souvenirs and scattered across the globe in private houses, that a significant collection of their unique art will remain accessible and seen by museum visitors for generations to come and that future scholars will always have a body of this work to study and write about.

Neither Eri or I were prepared for the emotional response from these artists. For them, their work had finally acquired a validation and an appreciation that while never being sought, none the less, has happened. While I was expecting a more stoic “that’s nice” response, what we got was genuine and sincerely heart felt appreciation.

In case you’ve never seen examples of these Keliki Kawan miniatures, here are a few:

[Adam]

What beautiful paintings they are, the detail makes your eyes go funny just looking at them let alone meticulously painting them! It's a shame the tradition is dying out but, surely a few of them could make a comfortable living from it. Obviously there is some sort of market for it out there Roy, what prices can they expect to get for their works and how long would it take for them to create one?

With all the ghastly 'artworks' that blight Bali's streets proliferating, it's a shame that genuinely appealing art is dying out...

P.S. couldn't help but laugh at that seedy bastard hiding in the tree in the first painting....can't say I blame him but :)

[Roy]

“P.S. couldn't help but laugh at that seedy bastard hiding in the tree in the first painting....can't say I blame him but...”

Mandi watching is a long and time honored tradition among Balinese males. :shock: As a young woman, before her dad tapped into the banjar water supply, my wife Eri used to mandi three times a day in the Ayung River. To this day, she swears she never felt more clean than in those days.

In many parts of Bali, one can still find people taking their mandi (bath) in local rivers and streams. Generally, the men will congregate in one group, and the women in another group. But each group will employ one spotter to be up stream about a hundred meters to warn of “floaters” on their way down. By floaters, I hope you know what I mean without being overtly explicit.

I’m delighted you like these paintings. Traditional Balinese art is not to everyone’s taste...understandably, of course. Cheers!

[Adam]

Have river mandi'ed myself many a time in friends villages in Negara and Bangli and before we had our bathroom built in Java. Only put up with it for one trip in Java before I concurred with the missus' idea to sink a well. The thought of river washing didn't bother me, the steady stream of villagers who came to see the strange big white bule ass did however! :lol: They weren't being perverts just a vast majority of them from my wifes neck of the woods had never seen a bule in the flesh and even still some of them look like they've seen a ghost when I walk past :shock: Despite having the bathroom made now, my mother in law still can't resist bathing in the river. Old habits die hard I guess.

Nowdays, from what of seen of most rivers, especially in their lower reaches, I can't imagine it's particularly safe from a hygeine point of view to be washing in these rivers. And yep, I know what you mean by floaters, regularly come face to face with some whoppers when we go poison fishing in our river! We call them blind mullets and invariably give em a wide berth :lol:

[Roy]

That was hilarious Adam! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

“Bule butt” is a big laugh around our compound, as each of our three boys do indeed have a white butt. They’ve all learned to cope with the questions from other Balinese kids, along the lines of, “yo dude, your butt is white!” Their current response is, “ya, it’s my dad’s fault.” :shock:

Speaking of mothers in law, specifically as to old habits, something I had to learn to deal with rather quickly is that my mother in law, or my boy’s dadong as they call her, is very traditional and reminiscent of Hofker paintings...meaning, in her own compound, she likes to “hang out” when it’s hot. :shock:

Good grief! So, one day I finally asked my wife, “hey, why is it that I see more of your mom’s breasts than I do yours?”

Her reply was classic Eri, and typically Balinese... "count yourself lucky that you get to see any at all.” :shock: :shock: :shock:

You guys look like a great couple. It would be fun to “hook up” if ever in the Ubud area. Cheers!

[Adam]

Ha ha ha, ain't it the truth!!! :lol:

That's kinda what I was alluding to with the 'seedy bastard in the tree and can't say I blame him comment'. Polite mandi spotting isn't solely the domain of Balinese men and sadly the views are rarely like the first painting! More like a collection of old brown leather strops really. Thankfully in Muslim Java the ladies are very discrete about such things and one rarely has to deal with the horror of invading 'spaniel ears'.

No matter how long one was to live in Bali, that for sure would rank highly amongst the list of day to day trauma's. :shock:

Sorry to digress...I'm sitting in my chair laughing my white bule butt off reminiscing right now :lol:

[Roy]

Polite mandi spotting isn't solely the domain of Balinese men and sadly the views are rarely like the first painting! More like a collection of old brown leather strops really.

My unmarried brother in law knows all the right spots and times for "mandi sport."

If his girlfriend is any indication, trust me, I ain't talking "old brown leather strops" either. :P

Of course, I have no personal expertise in such matters. Rather, I am relying solely on the word of my brother in law. :)

[Jimbo]

When I first went into my wifes Kampung 25 years ago I had to go to the river to bathe like everyone else. My wife used to stand guard whilst I did so. Toraja being a mountainous area meant that I went "down" to the river and then "up" to the house.

By the time I got to the top I was covered in sweat and my feet were dirty from the climb. I only did it the first time. After that I got her younger brothers and sisters to go and fill up 2 -3 metre long bamboo tubes with water and bring them up to the house where I could Mandi in the kitchen.

This went on for a couple of years and I even got them to heat some water so I could have even more comfort. In the end they started growing up and rebelled so I I built a bathroom and toilet whch all now use :)

[dug]

Hi Roy,
Fascinating bit of art info. I'll bet those minatures look great with a nice frame! Is it possible to go directly to the village and purchase from the artist? I presume as it is a traditional Kampung, it would be neccasary to "knock on a door"or gate to alert one of their intention to buy? What is the protocal for buying a painting?
Doug

[Roy]

Doug, it’s no problem to buy art directly from artists at home in their compound. Many may even have a small sign out front indicating their name and the words, painter or lukisan.

One advantage to galleries is the ability to be able to see lots of work by a variety of artists without a whole lot of running around. Either way, bargaining is expected of course. Good luck with your collecting.