8 Best Indonesian Souvenirs: Indonesian Paintings

Indonesian Painting

Indonesian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indonesian art, though because of the climatic conditions very few early examples survive. The earliest Indonesian paintings were the rock paintings of prehistoric times, such as the petroglyphs found in places like the caves in the district of Maros in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Stone Age rock paintings found in the Maros cave are approximately 40.000 years old. In prehistoric times, the painting played an important role because every painting had a specific meaning and purpose. At that time the paintings were made on cave walls and rocks. One of the techniques used by cave people to paint on cave walls is by placing their hands on the cave walls, then spraying them with chewing leaves or colored mineral stones. This spraying technique is known as the autograph. Another medium used to make paintings is clay. The dyes used come from natural ingredients such as minerals and animal fats. In general, the purpose and theme chosen for making these paintings are magical.

Curated Indonesian Painting at Kaliuda Gallery | Source: KALIUDA Gallery

Leang Pattakere Cave

Examples of prehistoric paintings can be seen at Leang Pattakere Cave in Maros, South Sulawesi as mentioned above. The painting depicts a hunting scene. In addition, there are also paintings on cave walls on the south coast of Irian Jaya (Papua). The paintings in these places depict ancestors. The thing that drew attention to the paintings scattered over such a vast area was the silhouettes of the hands everywhere. These handprints are also found in South Sulawesi, on paintings on rock cliffs in the bay of Sulaeman Seram, in the bay of Berau, Papua, on the island of Arguni, and in the Kei Islands. Apart from the hand shadow motif, the motifs found in many places are human figures, boats, sun, moon, birds, fish, turtles, humans, lizards, legs, and hog deer.

Leang Pattakere Cave in Maros, South Sulawesi | Source: google.com

After the end of prehistoric times, the Indonesian people had various kinds of expertise such as making large stones in the form of stepped pyramids, metal casting, agriculture and tools, sculpture, and batik making which were developed with the addition of new elements at the time of the influx of Hindu influence. This period is a new chapter in the periodization of culture in Indonesia and can be said to be a historical era because at this time there have been found relics in the form of writing were. This happened because of cultural contact with India around the 5th century AD.

Indonesian Paintings | Source: google.com

Nowadays, common themes used in works of art at this time include religion, mythology, legends, and historical stories. For example, a classical Balinese painting containing the Ramayana and Mahabharata stories. The style used in the wall carvings of the Majapahit era is the wayang style with a dense, stylized composition of the horizontal plane. The term wayang style here shows a sign of similarity in the stylized forms of the characters from wayang kulit stories and classical Balinese paintings. Painting color is limited to the colors that can be achieved by natural materials such as bark, leaves, soil, and soot. The painting is made on elongated fabric without being attached to the span frame so that the result resembles a scroll painting. As well as temple wall carvings and lontar pictures, the function of classical Balinese painting is as an educational medium in accordance with religious teachings or the philosophy of life in the Hindu era. Painting in Bali began to take place when the Hindu culture of East Java was pressured by Islamic culture. The existence of painting that blends and acculturates Hindu culture is unique and recognized by various countries now. The development of Hindu-Balinese painting can be described in three parts, namely Kamasan painting, Pita Maha painting, and Young Artists painting. 

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The new Indonesian painting that has developed in Indonesia, like art in general, cannot be fully understood without placing it within the overall framework of Indonesian society and culture. The development of Indonesian painting works was strongly influenced by historical forces. Indonesian painting only developed after the era of Islamic painting. Painting at this time experienced a very rapid development along with the development of Indonesian art in which figures such as Raden Saleh, Affandi, and others. In Kaliuda Gallery, you can find our curated antique Indonesian Paintings and also contemporary Indonesian Paintings that have been curated.