The Dynamism of Bali's Arts

The richness of Bali's Arts today can be thought of as the crystallisation of serveral cultural phenomena. Let's again look at dance as an example. Before Hinduism came to Bali, there already existed here various dance forms designed to defer evil, for example the dance known as Sanghyang, which is still performed to this day in some villages and mountain areas. The influence of Java was clearly felt after the fall of the Majapahit Kingdom in Java. At the beginning of the 15th century, many of the Majapahit left Java and began to delovp their arts in Bali. It has been noted in fact that the period of the Balinese Kingdom - between the 16th and 19th centuries is considered the golden age of Bali s art. Gambuh theatre, which is considered the well spring of the performed arts of music and dance was creation of the ruling classes of that epoch. Music, and particularly Balinese gamelan likewise developed around the same time under the influence of the Hindu-Majapahit. Event today fine art is enjoying a wealth of influence from abroad. Specific styles are named patra Mesir -Egyptian ornament, or elements of Chinese-patra China or Dutch art-patra Olanda, imported into Balinese carvings.

Colonialism-in the Dutch and Japanese perioddidn't affect the existence of the arts in Bali, at least as far as music and dance are concerned. Infact is can be said to have made a positive contribution to the performing arts. Gong Kebyar, for example, which became famous around the turn of the century thanks to pioneer I Gusti Nyoman Panji Gede in the north of Bali, is noted as having been influenced by western culture via Holland. During the 1930 s, Walter Spies, a German painter who lived in Bali focussed his attention on dance and gamelan, so much so that the Kecak dance is performed today in a form enriched by contact with Spies. And in 1931 the Dutch goverment sent an arts mission to Paris, France, an event which took Europe by storm.