Dealing with the painting in Bali is not a simple matter, if you a beginner in this area, your best choice is to acquire a paper booklet on painting. If you are seriously interested in purchasing a high quality painting you have to seek an advice from the expert. You can go to the Neka gallery, Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) or Rudana Art Gallery and have a chat with its director or the senior staffs of those galleries. They will give you significant information on Balinese painting; they are treasure box of information about the Balinese painting. It is better for you to go to a gallery in order to find a fine quality genuine Balinese painting.

If you want to buy a classic Balinese painting, it is better for you to go to Kamasan village in Klungkung regency. Kamasan, a quiet, traditional village, 45 km east of Denpasar is the origin of Kamasan style of classical painting. Several artists have workshops and small showrooms along the main streets. The work is often a family affair, with one person doing outlines, while another mixes the paints and another applies the colors. The paintings depict traditional stories or Balinese calendars, and although they are sold in souvenir shops all over Bali, the quality is better here. Look for smooth and distinct line work, evenly applied colors and balance in the overall composition.

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The village of Kamasan, in Klungkung, Bali’s oldest kingdom, as an ancient tradition of painting with its roots in the art of the great Javanese empire of Majapahit. Kamasan is far from the usual tourist tracks, and so many visitors to Bali get the false impression that Ubud is the centre of art. The art of Kamasan is the ‘classic’ style based on the shadow theatre or wayang, and Kamasan village once included many wayang puppeteers, although few remain. For many centuries that tradition was practised by the Sangging descent group, who gave their name to the section of the village of Kamasan where present-day artists are still found. Early in the nineteenth century the Sangging descent group died out in Kamasan through lack of male heirs, but they passed on their tradition to others in the village, via the most famous artists of that era, Modara.

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Hell from Balinese point of view can be seen in the ceiling of the Kertha Gosa, the traditional courtroom of Gelgel Kingdom in the heart of Semarapura town, Klungkung Regency. I think picture will tell about the Balinese vision on hell better than words so here are some pictures that show various punishments for the sinned souls in hell painted with the classic Kamasan style.

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Kamasan is a Balinese village located in the regency of Klungkung that is renowned for the diversity of arts and crafts produced there. Skilled artisans’ turn out goods made from bamboo, wood, iron and even discarded bullet shells left over from the Japanese occupation of the island during WW II.

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