By: Bruce Granquist
“In 1932, a few young men from the village of Batuan in Bali tried their hand at painting pictures on paper for the first time. As a result of this experiment a new art form was born, distinctive for both its new formal style, and the richly imagined and sometimes terrifying world it conveys.
In 1986, a Western abstract artist, Bruce Granquist, came to the village to live and work among these artists. In his book about the paintings of Batuan, Granquist lends us his painter’s vision to show us how the Batuan artists taught one another, and together developed a new school of painting. In a manner that is both perceptive and authoritative, he shows how Batuan painting uses traditional Balinese iconography together with new abstract forms to create images that are uniquely expressive and compelling.”
— Dr. Hildred Geertz, Professor Emeritus Princeton University
The goal of this book is to make Batuan paintings accessible to viewers from outside Bali. It does this by explaining some of the cultural codes that the paintings contain, as well as the narratives that link them to the rich Balinese and Southeast Asian traditions. It also demonstrates how these paintings communicate their meaning beyond Batuan’s cultural life, directly through their formal elements of line, shape and tone; communicating to us in ways that we are probably unaware of. This book expands our understanding of Batuan paintings, and helps us realise that much can be familiar in art from a distant place.
oder@AfterhoursBooks.com
