Bali Arts and Crafts

In Bali, the concept of viewing sculpture as an independent art form and of artists pursuing one's creative ideas independently is quite recent. In historical times, sculptors did not function to express their creativity. Instead they worked for courts and communities as specialist craftmen or carver of stone and wood to produce works that depict religious myths and beliefs. The renewal of sculpture that took place in the late 20's was both thematic and aesthetic. The first themes which came to the mind of Balinese carvers once they did not work for religious purposes were depictions of elements of their daily life : people sitting, drinking from a pitcher, resting, squatting, talking. The Balinese started looking at themselves with a new eye.