Modern Art

[JustYS]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Sorry I'm late to the party Yohan.

I rather like this piece of work, not as a keris, but as piece of folk art.

There are many ways in which to think about the keris, one of those ways is as art.

For the Javanese art connoisseurs, the keris, & in this context we are thinking of the classic keris, the wilahan, not the dress, so, the keris is the highest form of Javanese plastic art, ie, a three dimensional shaped form, but to be able to appraise a classic keris blade as an art form requires a great deal more education than most people have available to them.

It seems to me to be a natural development of this way of thinking about the keris, to use the keris form as a canvas (so to speak) and to create an art work on that canvas, which in itself can be regarded as an art work.

Would I collect such a piece of work?

Most decidedly yes --- but for reasons that perhaps most collectors of keris would not accept.

Thank you for your comments Alan.


I guess what you’ve explained above is not restricted only to Keris.

I observed the same development in wayang. As you surely know classical wayang performance is always based on Ramayana or Mahabharata story with strict guidelines.
Nowadays you can find wayang performance that depict national heroes such as Pangeran Diponegoro or even superheroes story from either local or international comic books. Even the technology changed from traditional oil lamp and music instrument to projector and sound system.

Like you said it is a natural development, probably in order to preserve the art by engaging the younger generation? However the flip side is the original classical art might be lost.