Ubud is indisputable center of Balinese art especially for painting with its numerous talented artists and many excellent paintings. However there are artists of talent emerge outside Ubud whose style and substance appear to develop entirely separately, not conforming to the styles that develop in Ubud. And one of these talented artists was I Gusti Made Deblog.

I Gusti Made Deblog was born in 1906 in Taensiat, Denpasar municipality. He learned the art of painting especially portrait painting at the age of thirty-one from his Chinese friend, Yap Sin Tin, who made his living by drawing portrait of his clients with contee (hardened coal) and Chinese ink on paper. Unfortunately drawing portrait was not Deblog’s best talent, hetried to sell his drawing but failed miserably.

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A permanent exhibition room in Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) is immortalized as Anak Agung Made Djelantik Room to honour Anak Agung Made Djelantik’s dedication for art and culture of Bali especially Balinese painting. This permanent exhibition room houses the watercolor paintings of Anak Agung Made Djelantik, the founder of Bali Walter Spies Foundation and the Honorary President of German Walter Spies Society. A strong bond between Walter Spies and Anak Agung Made Djelantik is showed by the position of this new room that is next to Walter Spies Room.

Left to Right: Bulan Trisna Djelantik (the doughter), Anak Agung Rai (owner of ARMA), Horst Jordt (President Walter Spies Society Germany), and the picture of Anak Agung Made Djelantik

The watercolor paintings of Anak Agung Made Djelantik which are exhibited here depict the fateful events in Anak Agung Made Djelantik life, from early in the childhood up to retirement years. The theme of the paintings range from the black magic to culture shock, from temple to boat race, in short the themes of the paintings cover all aspects of Anak Agung Made Djelantik life.

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A well-written story of Anak Agung Made Djelantik features The Jakarta Post, here is the full sotry:

Kadek Krishna Adidharma, Contributor, Ubud, Bali

Born a Balinese prince at the time of Dutch occupation, Anak Agung Made Djelantik (1919-2007) became a genuine Renaissance man who lived through the great changes that shaped our modern world today. His observations of those times and the arts of Bali are his gift to future generations.

After a life in service to the health of the world, Anak Agung Made Djelantik passed away on the eve of Sept. 5, 2007, at the age of 88. As a specialist in tropical diseases, he worked for many years with the World Health Organization to combat Malaria in Africa, the Middle East and throughout Indonesia. He was the first Balinese Director of Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar. It is his contribution to arts and culture, however, that is being honored here today.

At the late doctor’s simple one-day kingsan ring geni (bequeathal to fire) ceremony at the ancient palace of Karangasem, A. A. Gede Rai of Yayasan Walter Spies Bali and Horst Jordt of Walter Spies Society Germany decided to dedicate a permanent exhibition in a special room at the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA). It is fitting that the Dr. Djelantik Room will be located next to a room dedicated to his favorite German painter, Walter Spies (1895-1942).

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Dr. A. A. Made Jelantik, renaissance man supreme, doctor of dharma, aesthetician, and one of most decent human beings I have ever met, has left us. He passed away just after midnight on Tuesday, 5 September 2007. His body will remain at his home in Renon until the 10th of September when he shall be brought to his childhood home of Puri Agung in Karangasem.

Dr. A. A. Made Jelantik. Photo courtesy Roy Tee & Ann Bouwma

The ritual kingsan ring geni (or bequethal to the fire) shall be performed on 13 September in Karangasem. This ritual is the burning of the body, but is not considered as a cremation by the Balinese. The crematory rituals will be held at an undisclosed future date.

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