Ida Bagus Made
Encyclopedia
Ida Bagus Made Poleng. He was a traditional Balinese painter. Known also as Ida Bagus Made Poleng or Ida Bagus Made Tebesaya or simply Gus Made.
, Indonesia
in 1915. Ida Bagus Made came from a Brahman family of accomplished artists in Tampaksiring, Bali. His Father, Ida Bagus kembeng (1897–1952), was a well known painter who won the prestigious Silver Medal in 1937 at the International Colonial Art Exposition in Paris. Ida Bagus Made first learned painting and carving from his father. He later studied painting under the guidance of Rudolf Bonnet
. Bonnet once wrote that Ida Bagus Made was one of the most talented artist in Bali. He was in his teens when the modernization of Balinese art
began in the late 1920s, and only 21 years old when he joined the prestigious Pitamaha Artist Guild, founded in 1936 to preserve Balinese art from the threat of tourism and commercialism.
His father, Ida Bagus Kembeng had two wives: Jero Deblog and Ida Ayu Rai. Ida Bagus Made was a child from his second wife. From his marriage with Jero Deblog, Ida Bagus Kembeng had two sons: Ida Bagus Putu Wiri and Ida Bagus Made Belawa. With Ida Ayu Rai, Kembeng had a daughter, Ida Ayu Oka, and two sons: Ida Bagus Made Poleng and Ida Bagus Nyoman Raka.
Ida Bagus Made was married to Gusti Niang and had one daughter, Ida Ayu Sadri. Since Ida Bagus Made did not have a son, he adopted Ida Bagus Pudja, a son of his half brother, Ida Bagus Belawa.
He was known by the Balinese as a ritual specialist for carving sacred masks imbued with magical powers for the surrounding temples of Ubud
. As a traditional painter of the Pitamaha generation, he became known worldwide for his artistic mastery.
Ida Bagus Made was a prolific painter who had a profound distrust of art dealers and collectors. He scrutinized his admirers and only a handful of collectors passed his test. The late Indonesian President Sukarno
was one of such collectors that Ida Bagus Made revered. His works are well sought after and are in the collection of many museums in the world.
He died after an illness in 1999. In 2000, following the artist’s last wish, the widow of Ida Bagus Made loaned over 100 paintings from the artist’s private collection to the Puri Lukisan Museum
for safekeeping.
A fine example of his work is the Legong Dance (see image). It is set by the sea. The gong player is turn away from us, and facing the audience in the painting itself, composed entirely of women and one infant. Here Ida Bagus Made was successful to capture the sense of yearning the women in the audience feel for their youth. The pensive young woman on the left, clasping the stage, and the mother holding a child (center) reveal the unspoken feelings of longing. As it is customary, for a legong dancer to stop performing after she gets married or has children.
After 1945, he stopped participating in any exhibitions. Not until 1998 that he gave a blessing to a solo exhibition organized by Darga Gallery (Sanur, Ubud). The exhibition (14 March - 14 April 1998) featured paintings from the Neka Museum, The Agung Rai Museum of Art and of a handful private collectors. Ida Bagus Made attended the opening of the exhibition. A short catalog, entitled Ida Bagus Made - Mata Air Campuhan Masa Silam, accompanied the exhibition.
In 2001, a posthumous solo exhibition was held at the Herbert Johnson Museum of the Cornell University
, Ithaca, New York. The exhibition was curated by Prof. Kaja McGowan of Cornell University. Third teen paintings from three private collectors were shown from August 18 - October 28, 2001. An exhibition leaflet: Suaranya Gong Kebyar: the Balinese Art of Ida Bagus Made was published.
In July 2008, a posthumous solo exhibition was held in Museum Puri Lukisan in Bali. This exhibition features paintings from the estate of maestro Ida Bagus Made Poleng and celebrates the visual artistry of one of the foremost painters of Ubud. Fifty paintings from the estate of the artist was presented to the public for the first time. It is accompanied by a catalog: “Ida Bagus Made – the Art of Devotion”
Biography
He was born in Tebasaya, BaliBali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in 1915. Ida Bagus Made came from a Brahman family of accomplished artists in Tampaksiring, Bali. His Father, Ida Bagus kembeng (1897–1952), was a well known painter who won the prestigious Silver Medal in 1937 at the International Colonial Art Exposition in Paris. Ida Bagus Made first learned painting and carving from his father. He later studied painting under the guidance of Rudolf Bonnet
Rudolf Bonnet
Johan Rudolf Bonnet was a Dutch artist who lived much of his life in the town of Ubud on Bali, Indonesia....
. Bonnet once wrote that Ida Bagus Made was one of the most talented artist in Bali. He was in his teens when the modernization of Balinese art
Balinese art
Balinese art is art of Hindu-Javanese origin that grew from the work of artisans of the Majapahit Kingdom, with their expansion to Bali in the late 13th century. From the sixteenth until the twentieth centuries, the village of Kamasan, Klungkung , was the centre of classical Balinese art. During...
began in the late 1920s, and only 21 years old when he joined the prestigious Pitamaha Artist Guild, founded in 1936 to preserve Balinese art from the threat of tourism and commercialism.
His father, Ida Bagus Kembeng had two wives: Jero Deblog and Ida Ayu Rai. Ida Bagus Made was a child from his second wife. From his marriage with Jero Deblog, Ida Bagus Kembeng had two sons: Ida Bagus Putu Wiri and Ida Bagus Made Belawa. With Ida Ayu Rai, Kembeng had a daughter, Ida Ayu Oka, and two sons: Ida Bagus Made Poleng and Ida Bagus Nyoman Raka.
Ida Bagus Made was married to Gusti Niang and had one daughter, Ida Ayu Sadri. Since Ida Bagus Made did not have a son, he adopted Ida Bagus Pudja, a son of his half brother, Ida Bagus Belawa.
He was known by the Balinese as a ritual specialist for carving sacred masks imbued with magical powers for the surrounding temples of Ubud
Ubud
Ubud is a town on the Indonesian island of Bali in Ubud District, located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the Gianyar regency...
. As a traditional painter of the Pitamaha generation, he became known worldwide for his artistic mastery.
Ida Bagus Made was a prolific painter who had a profound distrust of art dealers and collectors. He scrutinized his admirers and only a handful of collectors passed his test. The late Indonesian President Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
was one of such collectors that Ida Bagus Made revered. His works are well sought after and are in the collection of many museums in the world.
He died after an illness in 1999. In 2000, following the artist’s last wish, the widow of Ida Bagus Made loaned over 100 paintings from the artist’s private collection to the Puri Lukisan Museum
Museum Puri Lukisan
The Puri Lukisan Museum is the oldest art museum in Ubud, Bali specializing in modern traditional Balinese paintings and wood carvings. The Museum is located in Ubud, Bali – Indonesia...
for safekeeping.
Works
Ida Bagus Made's paintings are some of the best examples of the Ubud school from the Pitamaha generation, and have not been surpassed by younger painters. His paintings have been acquired by prestigious institutions all over the world, including the United Nations, the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Royal Tropical Institute Museum (Amsterdam) and the Royal Ethnographic Museum (Leiden). In Indonesia, his paintings are in the collections of former President Sukarno, the Museum Puri Lukisan, the Neka Museum, the Agung Rai Museum of Art, the Bentara Budaya Museum, and many others.A fine example of his work is the Legong Dance (see image). It is set by the sea. The gong player is turn away from us, and facing the audience in the painting itself, composed entirely of women and one infant. Here Ida Bagus Made was successful to capture the sense of yearning the women in the audience feel for their youth. The pensive young woman on the left, clasping the stage, and the mother holding a child (center) reveal the unspoken feelings of longing. As it is customary, for a legong dancer to stop performing after she gets married or has children.
Exhibitions
Before the Second World War, his paintings were included in many touring exhibitions organized by the Pitamaha Artist Guild. Exhibitions were held in the Kunst-ring (Art Circle) of Batavia (1936, 1937, 1939); Bandung (1936, 1938); Tegal (1938); Medan, Palembang and Surabaya (1939).After 1945, he stopped participating in any exhibitions. Not until 1998 that he gave a blessing to a solo exhibition organized by Darga Gallery (Sanur, Ubud). The exhibition (14 March - 14 April 1998) featured paintings from the Neka Museum, The Agung Rai Museum of Art and of a handful private collectors. Ida Bagus Made attended the opening of the exhibition. A short catalog, entitled Ida Bagus Made - Mata Air Campuhan Masa Silam, accompanied the exhibition.
In 2001, a posthumous solo exhibition was held at the Herbert Johnson Museum of the Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Ithaca, New York. The exhibition was curated by Prof. Kaja McGowan of Cornell University. Third teen paintings from three private collectors were shown from August 18 - October 28, 2001. An exhibition leaflet: Suaranya Gong Kebyar: the Balinese Art of Ida Bagus Made was published.
In July 2008, a posthumous solo exhibition was held in Museum Puri Lukisan in Bali. This exhibition features paintings from the estate of maestro Ida Bagus Made Poleng and celebrates the visual artistry of one of the foremost painters of Ubud. Fifty paintings from the estate of the artist was presented to the public for the first time. It is accompanied by a catalog: “Ida Bagus Made – the Art of Devotion”