Balinese Art & Craft Guide: Painting, Carving & More

Ubud and its surrounding villages have been the epicenter of Balinese painting for nearly a century, and several distinct styles emerged from different villages and artistic movements. The Classical Kamasan or Wayang style, originating from the village of Kamasan in East Bali, is the oldest painting tradition, featuring flat, two-dimensional figures in earth tones depicting scenes from Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. These narrative paintings closely resemble the figures seen in Balinese shadow puppets. The Ubud style developed in the 1930s through the collaboration of local painters with Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet, who introduced concepts of perspective, anatomy, and light. Ubud-style paintings typically depict scenes of daily Balinese life -- rice harvesting, temple ceremonies, market scenes -- with a warm palette and gentle romanticism. The Batuan style, from the village of Batuan about 10 kilometers south of Ubud, is characterized by densely packed compositions filled with intricate detail. Batuan paintings cover every square centimeter of the canvas with overlapping scenes of mythology, daily life, and sometimes wry social commentary, rendered in dark, saturated tones with India ink outlines. The Young Artists style emerged in the 1960s when Dutch painter Arie Smit encouraged local children in Penestanan village to paint in bright, naive colors without formal training. The resulting works feature vivid tropical scenes with bold, unblended colors and a joyful spontaneity that became internationally popular. For serious art exploration, visit the Neka Art Museum and ARMA (Agung Rai Museum of Art) in Ubud, which house excellent collections spanning all major Balinese painting styles alongside work by the European artists who influenced them.

The village of Mas, located on the main road between Ubud and Denpasar, has been synonymous with Balinese wood carving for centuries. Mas carvers are considered among the finest in Southeast Asia, producing work that ranges from small decorative pieces to monumental temple gate carvings and large-scale sculptures. The tradition is passed from father to son, and many families in Mas have been carving for five or more generations. Traditional Balinese wood carving serves both sacred and decorative purposes. Temple doors, columns, and roof decorations feature elaborate carvings of mythological scenes, floral motifs (patra), and guardian figures (dwarapala). Masks used in sacred dance performances are carved by specialist artisans who undergo spiritual purification before beginning work on particularly sacred pieces. The most commonly used woods are crocodile wood (Pterocarpus indicus), hibiscus wood (Hibiscus tiliaceus), and the fragrant sandalwood. More affordable pieces use suar (rain tree or monkey pod) wood, which has beautiful natural grain patterns. Ebony (sonokeling) is used for fine detail work and produces the distinctive black carvings often seen in tourist shops. In Mas, several large galleries and family workshops line the main road, and visitors can watch carvers at work. Notable studios include the Ida Bagus Tilem Gallery, one of the most respected names in Balinese sculpture, and the Njana Tilem Gallery, which displays both traditional and contemporary pieces. Prices range from IDR 50,000 for small souvenir pieces to millions of rupiah for museum-quality sculptures. When buying, look for smooth finishing, symmetrical proportions, and wood that has been properly dried to prevent cracking.

Celuk village, located about 8 kilometers south of Ubud on the road to Denpasar, has been the center of Balinese silver and gold smithing for generations. Almost every family in Celuk is involved in metalwork in some capacity, and the sound of tiny hammers tapping silver wire is the village's constant soundtrack. Balinese silver work is distinguished by its intricate filigree techniques, where thin silver wire is twisted, curled, and soldered into lace-like patterns of extraordinary delicacy. Traditional designs draw on natural motifs -- lotus flowers, frangipani, rice stalks, and mythological creatures -- and are used in jewelry, ceremonial objects, and decorative items. The silver used is typically 925 sterling silver, and the hallmark 'Bali 925' has become a recognized mark of quality in the international jewelry market. In Celuk, dozens of workshops and showrooms line the main road, ranging from large commercial operations with tour bus parking lots to small family ateliers tucked down side streets. For the most authentic experience, seek out the smaller workshops where you can watch artisans at work and commission custom pieces. Many workshops offer silversmithing classes where visitors can learn basic techniques and create their own simple ring or pendant under the guidance of a master smith. Classes typically last 2-3 hours and cost IDR 250,000-500,000 including materials. Prices in Celuk are generally fair, but bargaining is expected in shops without fixed prices. Silver is typically sold by weight plus a markup for craftsmanship, so finer filigree work commands higher prices. Compare the weight stamp and quality of the silver work before purchasing, and be wary of silver-plated items sold as solid silver in less reputable shops.

Batik is a wax-resist textile dyeing technique that has been practiced across Indonesia for centuries and holds UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status. While Java is the traditional heartland of Indonesian batik, Bali has developed its own distinctive batik traditions characterized by vibrant colors, nature-inspired motifs (birds, flowers, fish, rice terraces), and designs that draw on Hindu-Balinese mythology. The batik process involves applying hot liquid wax to fabric in patterns using a copper stamp (cap) or a small spouted tool (canting) held like a pen. The waxed areas resist the dye when the fabric is submerged, creating the pattern. Multiple rounds of waxing and dyeing with different colors produce the complex, multi-layered designs that characterize fine batik. Hand-drawn batik (batik tulis) using a canting tool is the most labor-intensive and expensive form. A single piece of fine batik tulis can take weeks or even months to complete and may cost millions of rupiah. Stamped batik (batik cap) uses copper stamps to apply the wax pattern more quickly and is more affordable while still being handmade. Machine-printed fabrics that imitate the batik look are widely available and very cheap, but they are not true batik. In Bali, Tohpati village near Denpasar is the main center for batik production and shopping. Several large workshops offer demonstrations of the batik process and have showrooms with extensive collections. For higher-end contemporary Balinese batik, the boutiques in Ubud and Seminyak stock work by named designers who push the art form in creative directions. To distinguish genuine batik from printed imitations, check the reverse side of the fabric: real batik shows the dye penetrating through to both sides, while printed fabric has a clear front and back.

Stone carving is one of Bali's most visible art forms, encountered at every temple gate, along roadsides, and in the ornate walls of traditional compounds. The village of Batubulan, on the road between Denpasar and Ubud, is the center of Balinese stone carving. Using a soft volcanic stone called paras (a grey-green tuff that is easy to carve when freshly quarried and hardens with exposure to air), Batubulan carvers produce everything from small decorative statues to massive temple guardians and architectural elements. Temple entrance guardians (dwarapala), ornate split gates (candi bentar), and the dramatic demon-face carvings (bhoma or kala) above temple entrances are all created by master stone carvers using hand tools -- chisels, mallets, and files -- with remarkable precision. The green-grey stone eventually weathers to a dark color covered in moss and lichen, giving Bali's temples their characteristic ancient appearance. A new carving can look centuries old within a few years in Bali's tropical climate. Mask making (topeng) is a sacred craft in Bali, as the masks used in topeng dance performances are considered to contain spiritual energy and must be carved with ritual preparation. The village of Mas is also a center for mask carving, and the finest masks are carved from pule wood (Alstonia scholaris), believed to have spiritual properties. Masks depicting characters from the Ramayana, Barong and Rangda, and various topeng characters require deep knowledge of the mythology and character personality to carve the correct expressions. A master mask carver (undagi tapel) may take weeks to complete a single performance-quality mask. Visitors can find decorative masks at every price point throughout Bali, but for genuine artisan quality, visit the workshops in Mas where carvers explain the spiritual significance of each character.

Buying authentic Balinese art requires some knowledge and care, as the market ranges from genuine masterworks to mass-produced imitations and outright fakes. The most reliable approach is to buy directly from the artisan or their family workshop. In the craft villages -- Mas for woodcarving, Celuk for silver, Batubulan for stone, Tohpati for batik -- you can watch the creation process, meet the maker, and buy with confidence. Prices at the source are generally lower than in tourist-area galleries, though the selection of finished pieces may be smaller. Ubud's art galleries represent the next tier of reliable purchasing. Established galleries like Komaneka, Neka Gallery (separate from the museum), Gaya Art Space, and Seniwati Women's Art Gallery curate their collections carefully and can provide provenance information and certificates of authenticity for significant purchases. Prices reflect the gallery markup but also the curation and quality assurance. For contemporary Balinese art, the galleries in Seminyak (particularly along Jalan Kayu Aya and Jalan Petitenget) and the emerging art district in Canggu feature work by younger Balinese artists alongside international artists living in Bali. The Ubud Readers and Writers Festival (October) and ArtBali events showcase the contemporary scene. When shopping in markets and tourist areas, be aware that many items labeled as Balinese are actually mass-produced in Java or China. Authentic Balinese craft typically shows slight irregularities consistent with handwork, uses traditional materials (local woods, 925 silver, natural dyes for textiles), and comes with the maker's name or workshop identification. If a price seems too good for the craftsmanship, it probably is not genuine handmade work. Negotiating is expected in markets and shops without fixed prices, but remember that skilled artisans deserve fair compensation. Starting at 50-60 percent of the asking price and settling at 70-80 percent is a reasonable approach for market shopping.