October 19, 2001
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Ida Bagus Made (1915 -d1999)
Balinese
“Rice Goddess“
I got sidetracked, thinking about the art of Ida Bagus Made. There was a very recent exhibition of his works at my university museum where i got to view them up close. the one thing that strikes me about his works is the verdant sensuousness of detail, and especially of line. he paints mainly scenes from bali, as well as images from the local religion and beliefs. the one work that i really like, which’s name i cannot remember, is a beautiful monochrome ink painting. although it is starker than this piece, it is all the better for viewing how he is able to take a line and give depth to a two-dimensional surface. it’s not apparent here, but when you stand in front of one of his paintings, your eye is held captive by the line. your vision follows the lush curves of bodies and plants, easily bringing them to life within your imagination. for all the detail of his painting, the artist knew how to appreciate minimalism and the raw beauty of the materials that he worked with. one of the masks he made he left unfinished after a visitor remarked that he liked the unfinished product better. Ida Bagus Made was delighted to hear that the visitor shared the same perspective as him. consequently, he bestowed the unfinished mask on the visitor.
Ida Bagus Made was an artistic genius of his time. his works are veritable jewels to hold in your gaze and when you finally understand them, their presence leaves an indelible imprint upon your soul.
Comments (4)
Well said.
Not to mention, it looks nice too!
heh heh!
I agree that sometimes works in progress have a raw unfinished quality that is unique. I have often had clients that see designs in progress, and end up preferring the comps and sketches over the finished work! Sometimes it is disappointing, but usually it turns out that the vision is too ideal, and the raw look gives a reality edge to the design. Nice blog Gabrielle.. Take care.. -navdeep
Wow…I have always wanted to understand art better…I spent quite a lot of time (some years ago) wandering through museums in Europe looking at works by the masters…I could only appreciate the superficial aspects of the works, but wish I could have understood the symbols…maybe I’ll look for an on-line ‘art history’ or ‘art appreciation’ course next! Spot <the cat>