Home Institution
Washington and Lee University
Publication Date
Spring 2017
Abstract
The Malat is a Balinese oral tradition and text composed of numerous episodic stories based on Javanese and Balinese courtly life of the pre-Dutch intervention era, when kings and princes dominated the political sphere and the court system governed aspects of social life. Many art forms blossomed out of this epic, notably in painting and in performance, known as gambuh. Through an exploration of the Balinese epic, the Malat, as a Balinese text, history, fine art, and performance, this study analyzes the modern cultural importance of this ancient pre-Indonesian courtly epic. Gambuh is an ancient dance-drama that serves as the origin of many other traditional Balinese dances, and plays the lead role in this study. The progression of gambuh's prominence in Bali from pre-Indonesian State to current times is discussed, and predictions of the future of gambuh are gathered from conversations with informants and from personal experiences.
Disciplines
Asian Studies | Dance | Other Arts and Humanities | Other Classics | Painting | South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies
Recommended Citation
Austin, Emily, "Panji's Present Predicament: the artistic prominence and tension of the Malat in painting and contemporary Balinese performance" (2017). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2585.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2585
Included in
Asian Studies Commons, Dance Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other Classics Commons, Painting Commons, South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies Commons
Program Name
Indonesia: Arts, Religion, and Social Change