I Wayan Kabetan (1931-2006)
Forest nymph with a monkey, butterflies and other animals in the jungle
indistinctly signed and annotated 'Wy. Kabetan / Batuan Bali' (lower right); signed, annotated and dated 'Wy. Kabetan / Batuan Bali / th:1981' (written on the reverse)
gouache on paper, unframed, 50x20 cm
Provenance: -Estate of the artist.
Together with another work by I Wayan Kabetan (1931-2006), A Balinese dancer, signed and annotated 'Wj. Kabetan / Batuan Bali' (lower right); dated '3-3-2000' (on the reverse), ink on paper, unframed, 41x30 cm
I Wayan Kabetan (1931 – 2006) was an autodidact. Although his father was a close relative of I Nyoman Ngendon (d. 1946/7) and I Patera (d. 1935), both were deceased before he could have apprenticed with them. Nonetheless, Kabetan was inspired by both of these artists to compose novel works rather than just copying the old or prevalent traditions. His composition is unique, and nothing similar was produced before him.
The collection of seven paintings offered in this auction, came directly from the estate of the artist and bear firsthand witness to his new and unique compositions. Throughout his career, his output was quite limited, making this a rare opportunity for any serious collector of Balinese art.
Kebetan sometimes reworked a theme several times, either due to its popularity, or an attempt to master a new angle or perspective in depicting the scene or story. The Legong dancer (dated 2000, part of lot 100), is one example, with the oldest known version made in 1968 on canvas. Another example is the Nymph in the Forest, (black and white, dated 1981 and part of lot 100). A similar version in colour was produced in 1987.
Rafting on the River (lot 101) is an extraordinary rendition of tourists’ activity on a river in Bali. With a raft capsized at the foreground, another boat is trying hard to avoid a collision, while the two boats behind them are preparing to do the same. All of this takes place under the watch of a group of monkeys: some hanging on a tree at the top right, and a group of four at the riverbank on the upper left. At the bottom left a mother monkey is trying to save her baby from a snake, while a woman, holding a ladder for her coconut collecting husband, watches. Everywhere: birds, fish and other small creatures go about their business. These are the commotions depicted masterfully by Kabetan… what a riot!
Sea life (lot 102) shows the imagination of this inventive painter. Batuan is located rather far away from the sea. But it does not stop Kabetan from painting the myriad life beneath the ocean. Most Balinese are afraid of the sea, as they believe the ocean is the realm of evil spirits. Their fear is not unfounded: as the ocean waves in the south of Bali can be treacherous and there is also the danger of sharks. The main actors in this drawing are two large fish or eels with gaping jaws facing each other and ready to fight for the fish on the bottom of the seafloor. Unlike the cacophony of rafting on the river, the hunt at the ocean depths is slow, quiet, and seemingly peaceful.
Balinese Hell (lot 103) is the largest drawing (46x61cm) and depicts Karma Pala, the law of cause and effect. Here the setting is a village, as opposed to the standard depiction of Balinese Hell in the underworld. It’s as if Kabetan is reminding us that the principal of “reaping what you sow” also applies to life in the present. The journey in the afterlife begins with meeting Suratman, the great judge, shown here sitting at a gazebo at the top left, reading lontars recording the deeds and ills during our lifetime. At the center is a huge copper cauldron boiling 12 men and women. Three guards of the underworld surround it: one stirring the pot, another forcefully carrying a man to his fate, and a third holding a large mallet ready to strike anyone who tries to escape. At the top center lies a tree covered with Krises (Balinese daggers). Under the command of a guard on the tree, the krises fall and hit the head of the souls below. All of this is supervised by the four-armed God (Siwa) shown residing at the temple on the right side of the Kris Tree.
Peter Soemantri Widagdo
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
Forest nymph with a monkey, butterflies and other animals in the jungle
indistinctly signed and annotated 'Wy. Kabetan / Batuan Bali' (lower right); signed, annotated and dated 'Wy. Kabetan / Batuan Bali / th:1981' (written on the reverse)
gouache on paper, unframed, 50x20 cm
Provenance: -Estate of the artist.
Together with another work by I Wayan Kabetan (1931-2006), A Balinese dancer, signed and annotated 'Wj. Kabetan / Batuan Bali' (lower right); dated '3-3-2000' (on the reverse), ink on paper, unframed, 41x30 cm
I Wayan Kabetan (1931 – 2006) was an autodidact. Although his father was a close relative of I Nyoman Ngendon (d. 1946/7) and I Patera (d. 1935), both were deceased before he could have apprenticed with them. Nonetheless, Kabetan was inspired by both of these artists to compose novel works rather than just copying the old or prevalent traditions. His composition is unique, and nothing similar was produced before him.
The collection of seven paintings offered in this auction, came directly from the estate of the artist and bear firsthand witness to his new and unique compositions. Throughout his career, his output was quite limited, making this a rare opportunity for any serious collector of Balinese art.
Kebetan sometimes reworked a theme several times, either due to its popularity, or an attempt to master a new angle or perspective in depicting the scene or story. The Legong dancer (dated 2000, part of lot 100), is one example, with the oldest known version made in 1968 on canvas. Another example is the Nymph in the Forest, (black and white, dated 1981 and part of lot 100). A similar version in colour was produced in 1987.
Rafting on the River (lot 101) is an extraordinary rendition of tourists’ activity on a river in Bali. With a raft capsized at the foreground, another boat is trying hard to avoid a collision, while the two boats behind them are preparing to do the same. All of this takes place under the watch of a group of monkeys: some hanging on a tree at the top right, and a group of four at the riverbank on the upper left. At the bottom left a mother monkey is trying to save her baby from a snake, while a woman, holding a ladder for her coconut collecting husband, watches. Everywhere: birds, fish and other small creatures go about their business. These are the commotions depicted masterfully by Kabetan… what a riot!
Sea life (lot 102) shows the imagination of this inventive painter. Batuan is located rather far away from the sea. But it does not stop Kabetan from painting the myriad life beneath the ocean. Most Balinese are afraid of the sea, as they believe the ocean is the realm of evil spirits. Their fear is not unfounded: as the ocean waves in the south of Bali can be treacherous and there is also the danger of sharks. The main actors in this drawing are two large fish or eels with gaping jaws facing each other and ready to fight for the fish on the bottom of the seafloor. Unlike the cacophony of rafting on the river, the hunt at the ocean depths is slow, quiet, and seemingly peaceful.
Balinese Hell (lot 103) is the largest drawing (46x61cm) and depicts Karma Pala, the law of cause and effect. Here the setting is a village, as opposed to the standard depiction of Balinese Hell in the underworld. It’s as if Kabetan is reminding us that the principal of “reaping what you sow” also applies to life in the present. The journey in the afterlife begins with meeting Suratman, the great judge, shown here sitting at a gazebo at the top left, reading lontars recording the deeds and ills during our lifetime. At the center is a huge copper cauldron boiling 12 men and women. Three guards of the underworld surround it: one stirring the pot, another forcefully carrying a man to his fate, and a third holding a large mallet ready to strike anyone who tries to escape. At the top center lies a tree covered with Krises (Balinese daggers). Under the command of a guard on the tree, the krises fall and hit the head of the souls below. All of this is supervised by the four-armed God (Siwa) shown residing at the temple on the right side of the Kris Tree.
Peter Soemantri Widagdo
