Procession in Bali
Date:
1960-1970
Dimensions:
Overall H: 34 inches; W: 57 inches;
Credit Line:
Donation of Goody Good
Object number:
1998.92
In traditional Bali, funeral processions for aristocrats were elaborate affairs. The body was carried to the cremation ground in a tiered tower made of wood, bamboo, and cloth. The tower was guided by members of the deceased's family pulling a mythical snake of rope and wood, seen here in the center foreground. The snake was symbolically killed with an arrow shot by a high-ranking priest so that it could transport the soul to heaven. For cremation, the body was placed in a wooden coffin in the shape of a cow, seen here at upper right. While people in many parts of Indonesia converted to Islam centuries ago, the Balinese have remained Hindu. Several features related to Balinese Hinduism can be seen in this painting, such as the Brahman priest, the mythical serpent, and the towers shaped like sacred mountains. Around 1930, Balinese artists began to create paintings of new subjects-such as the village ceremony seen here-in a new style, for a new clientele: tourists. Several European artists living in Bali taught painting and encouraged the trend, to give the young generation of artists a way to make a living. This new tradition brought forth (and continues to bring forth) lush and charming scenes of folklore and idealized village life that have contributed to the world's vision of Bali as a kind of Eden.
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