Tabing/Kamasan Paintings

Tabing paintings, which in Bali are often called kamasan after a village specialising in their production, depict ascene or a sequence of scenes from stories that exist in various oral and written forms. They can be divided into two groups, mythological and semi-historical, which reflects differences in their content. Mythological stories the Ramayana, as depicted in these examples, the Mahabharata, and the Adiparwa stories, which provide the background to the Mahabharata deal - with the emergence of the world and humanity and are derived from the Indian epics, though they often reflect local reinterpretations. The semi-historical stories portray more recent events and deal with folk or romantic heroes and the struggle between good and evil.

The subject matter of tabing paintings used in the courts was generally related to the particular ceremony (marriage, tooth-filing, etc.) at which they would be shown. However, the painters themselves were not from the higher castes, but were mainly of the Sudra (artisan) caste, and the paintings expressed Sudra values and cultural concerns. Many have themes in which servants to the aristocracy are triumphant. Fundamentally, however, these paintings were meant to have a religious function within the community at large and were intended as part of the overall environment in which ceremonies took place.

Presented as offerings and as ritual decorations in temples, household ancestor shrines, and village ceremonial buildings, specialists in these narrative art forms were commissioned by the kings, princes, and temple councils of courtly centers such as Gianyar, Tabanan, Sanur, Bangli, Singaraja, and Karangasem. The nobles of these regions loaned each other artists, in this way spreading art all over the island.

The first Balinese painters were puppet painters, a skill which evolved over time to include painting figures on cloth according to well-established rules of iconography. Often called wayang-style paintings because the figures resembled shadow puppet characters, these formalized traditional “story cloths” depicted the same stories as those performed in Javanese and Balinese wayang performances.

The characters occupied a world of Hindu gods, demons, princes and princesses dressed in the ancient attire of Hindu Javanese times. Quaint rather than distinguished works of art, the paintings’ purpose was to instill moral and ethical values by teaching laws of adat (customary law) and religious custom. As the art forms evolved, however, more popular everyday scenes from Balinese life crept into the paintings, including supernatural and magic themes and humorous or whimsical characters from Balinese folklore.

Both: 88.5 x 28 cm; rice paste, paint and ink on cotton cloth.