Ubud Painting

Painting in Bali has been developing since pre-literary times, as evidenced by the discoveries of historical objects which are also sculpted by art paintings such as nekara, sarcophagus, as well as a number of stone objects.

The art of painting in Bali developed rapidly in the 15th century AD, in the reign of King Dalem Waturenggong in Klungkung. This is shown by kamasan style paintings on one of the traditional building ceilings. After the Kamasan style painting, gradually the style of painting in Bali evolved into rock style, ubud, sanur, keliki, until now contemporary paintings.

Traditional Balinese paintings usually describe the culture and traditions of Balinese people in general. There are also traditional Balinese paintings that depict Hindu epics and mythologies. Another characteristic that can be seen in traditional Balinese paintings is the details. This detail is what makes traditional Balinese paintings complicated so that it takes a long time to process.

Traditional artists use natural pigments, artificial pens and brushes. With the skills they have, they strive to create perfection of lines, shapes, proportions and color compositions according to iconography rules. Traditional artists feel a sense of pride when other artists try to imitate their work.