Ubud is located in attractive environment
of picturesque emerald green rice fields, along the edges of deep gorgeous
river in the stunning center Balinese foothill around 30 km from Denpasar
town. Ubud got its name from ubad, which means medicine, due to the fact
that there are many plants in this area used in making traditional medicine.
Ubud surrounding, are considered the best on the island, the traditional
dancing and music is of excellent quality.
The trip to Ubud is a time change: from stone dwellings of antiquity to
a current center of fine arts noted for its painters. On the threshold
of Ubud is the village of Peliatan with an especially active dance troupe
and gamelan orchestra. These famous musicians have represented Indonesia
abroad in Europe and the United States. The village puri continues the
tradition of fine performing with private dance lessons for aspirants
from the age of five. it's delightful to watch a Legong instructor glide
through the motions of the dance trailed by four little girls, their feet
weaving patterns over the courtyard and their faces set in concentration
to the essential rhythm of the drum.
A quieter rhythm guides the daily life of Ubud. Each morning, farmers
set their fighting cocks along the roadside to bask in' the sun. Covarrubias
says they do this so the cocks will be amused watching the passerby: sturdy
women suspending hemisphetes of pots to be sold at market, farmers bearing
sheaves of rice, and nowadays passing automobiles. It's nice to join them
and stroll through the plentiful shops that line the avenue opposite the
old puri in the town's center. Ubud is excellent for shopping. Galleries
display contemporary styles by old masters of thirty years experience
and young boys who have developed a manner of their own-the "Young
Artists" style. Many shops have studios at the back where you may
watch painters at work.
For decades the serene beauty of this village has lured celebrities and
artists from all over the world, some of whom stayed to build their homes
here. Down the road at Campuan, the junction of two rivers that flow through
Ubud, are the former residences of Waiter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet, artists
who lived here during the thirties. With the support of Cokorda Gede Agung
of Ubud, these two painters founded the Pitha Maha, a society which encouraged
the young artists of the area, criticized them, provided them with materials
and encouragement, and patronized their work. Spies' own paintings inspired
the Balinese artists to abandon the rigid forms of the traditional style
and adopt such European techniques as perspective. (Spies died during
World War li.)
Since the turn of the century the art of North Bali had come under European
influence. The modern styles of Ubud and Batuan drew their inspiration
from the scenes of everyday life about them, besides from the classic
stories of Old Javanese literature. Many Balinese painters associated
with Pitha Maha are internationally renowned, like the late 1 Gusti Nyoman
Lempad, and others remain to this day among the island's most outstanding
artists: A.A. Gede S brat, lda Bagus Made Poleng, I Gusti Ketut Kobot
and several others, each working in his own style. An outstanding woodcarver
was 1 Tjokot from the village of Jati, 1 5 kilometers north of Ubud. Mas
and Nyuhkuning are other early woodcarving centers still active.
At the present time, Dutch-born Han Snel and the American Antonio Blanco
are the long resident foreign painters. They have galleries in their homes
where their works may be seen. Dutch-born Arie Smith encouraged young
artists to create bold, simplistic paintings from which arose the "Young
Artists" style with its bright colors. The patronage of the arts
continues, with friends and collectors intermittently sponsoring exhibitions
abroad.
The Museum Puri Lukisan (Palace of Fine Arts), also called the Museum
Ratna Wartha, was begun in 1954 and opened two years later as a permanent
collection of modern Balinese art. Beautifully situated above a garden,
the museum displays sculpture and paintings in chronological order, giving
a clear view of the modern movements in Bali's art centers. In the early
seventies two new buildings were added, one being used for exhibitions.
Bonnet returned to Bali in 1 973 to help expand the permanent collection.
Ubud is the only important tourist center in Bali outside the Denpasar-Sanur-Kuta
area. There are several hotels, and recently in 1975 electricity came.
Many tourists like to make Ubud their home while in Bali and travel out
from there. Besides the main trips, there are many roads and places near
at hand that are enjoyable to visit. The terraced fields and waterfalls
in nearby gorges invite one to leave transport behind and set off on foot.
Any direction is fine. The best-known walk is to the monkey forest, just
south of Ubud, where a troop with a fine-looking king inhabits the surviving
patch of jungle. A great banyan tree straddles the nearby gorge on the
path down to a delightful 13tthing place. The Pura Dalem on the edge if
the forest has exceptionally fine statues of Rangda gorging herself on
young children. The road south through Padangtegal leads 6rf to Pengosekan,
a village of painters since the thirties. It is well known for the varied
and individual style of its artists and was visited by Queen Elizabeth
11 in 1974.
Cross over the suspension bridge at Campuan, and turn left several hundred
meters beyond, for the path to Penestanan, main village of the "Young
Artists". On trips further a field on the back roads, a motorbike
is best. From Ubud, two roads, besides the usual one via Tampaksiring,
lead to Kintamani. One road goes through Payangan, famous for its lychees
which grow nowhere else in Bali. The second road is surfaced as far as
Tegaialang. Jati, where 1 Tjokot lived, is just off the latter road beyond
Tegaialang. There are several art shops along the road. Up nearer the
crater, be prepared to encounter thick volcanic sands left behind when
Gunung Agung erupted in 1963. Ubud serves well both the traveler who wants
to get about and those who prefer a quiet relaxing stay.