A representation of an epic from the Vedas in the wall decoration of Vasiq Ansari House in Isfahan (2025)

The Art of Wayang

2020

Wayang kulit, shadow theatre, which has roots dating back over one thousand years, is one of the most popular, or even the most popular theatre form in Java. The performances, which last the whole night and during which the dalang (puppeteer) animates a few or several dozen puppets, mainly depict stories taken from the Mahabharata or Ramayana. Live gamelan music accompanies the play. The puppets, made of specially prepared and painted leather, are one of the most characteristic elements of wayang, recognized even by those who have never seen any performance. Javanese streets are full of billboards advertising Hollywood superheroes by means of wayang puppets. Heroic warriors from the Mahabharata are everywhere – on hotel signboards, buses, t-shirts and all kinds of souvenirs. Wayang puppets are not only the symbols of shadow theatre – now they are seen as a symbol of Javanese culture and the whole of Indonesia outside its borders. So, they appear in tourist brochures that promote exo...

Divine disguises on the crossroads of Khotan: The iconographies from Dandan Oilik

Journal of Asian Civilizations, 2021

The oasis of Khotan represents a fascinating crossroad of cultures and artistic influences mixed in a unique environment. Paintings, which are visually eloquent, yet very elusive with their mysterious symbolism, have fascinated scholars since the beginning of the 20th century, when they emerged from the sands of the Taklamakan desert. The oasis, one of the largest and most prosperous on the Silk Road, functioned as a transit point between the two huge cultural entities of India and China and, inevitably, absorbed inspirations from all the visitors passing through. It became a Buddhist stronghold whose monastic establishments were praised and where monks travelled to obtain sacred scriptures. Such a heterogeneous environment favored the birth of original artistic manifestations which in many cases resist a unanimous interpretation. For the large quantity of materials spread across different sites in the oasis of Khotan, a restrictive choice was made to better fit the format of this article. The site of Dandan Oilik has been selected as an example, principally because of the great variety of themes represented on mural paintings as well as on wooden votive panels and tablets. The primary goal of this study is to attempt to identify and classify the iconographies of deities belonging to an auxiliary Buddhist pantheon, therefore depictions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are purposely left out. The aim is to describe what could be foreign or local admixtures to an iconographic heritage already heavy with significance and symbolism at its South Asian origins.

“On a Wall Painting from Toplukdong Site no. 1 in Domoko: New Evidence of Vaiśravaṇa in Khotan?” In Klimburg-Salter, D. and L. Lojda (eds.), Changing Forms and Cultural Identity: Religious and Secular Iconographies, pp. 215-224. Turnhout, 2014.

Asian Ethnology 82 1 45 71 Kari Telle

In the Hindu Balinese imagination, demons (buta kala) are ambiguous figures of the crossroads. Across Indonesia, the display of giant demon puppets (ogohogoh) has increasingly become part of the lunar Hindu New Year celebrations. Drawing on fieldwork among the Balinese minority on the island of Lombok, I argue that the display of demon puppets permits Hindu Balinese youth to unleash "wild" demonic forces. Building on Kaja M. McGowan's (2008) notion of Balinese "internal aesthetics," I propose that the puppets serve as potential sites or receptacles for the demonic. Just as each demon puppet mobilizes a display of fun and volatility, so it provokes passions and frequently becomes embroiled in conflict. Demon puppets are designed to amuse and dazzle by their outrageous appearance, yet they unsettle the porous boundaries between "religion" and "entertainment." By examining the politics surrounding the annual ogoh-ogoh procession in Cakranegara, I show that their display acquires urgency in a multireligious context.

Lopes, R. O. "Art", in Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Vol 4 - South, Central, and West Asia, edited by Carolyn M. Elliott, Sage: Los Angeles, 2012, pp. 74-76

Arjuna Visualizations in Three Javanese Wayang

New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2017

Arjuna, the third Pandava character in Mahabharata story which originated from India, has different characterisation when it spreads and develops in Java, Indonesia. This character is lovely, delicate, loves to dress up, smart in smooth talking, though mentioned as the most masculine character in the story. In the three different Wayang theaters which play the Mahabharata story such as Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet), Wayang Beber (illustrations on scroll-painted fabrics) and Wayang Wong (theatrical performance by humans), there is a distinct pattern to visualise Arjuna masculinity. The purpose of the research is to show how those three Wayangs visualise Arjuna's masculinity. In doing so, we observe the artefact of Arjuna character in Wayang Kulit, Wayang Beber, and costume worn by Arjuna cast in Wayang Wong. The result shows that those three Wayang have a similar strategy to visualise Arjuna, they tend to emphasise on the physical subtlety of Arjuna, the softness of his behaviour and speech. It seems that to convey the masculinity of Arjuna, and there is a consistency to visualise it similar to the characteristic of a woman.

Differences and similarities in Gandhāran art production: the case of the modelling school of Haḍḍa (Afghanistan) - Wannaporn Rienjang and Peter Stewart (eds) , 2019.

The Geography of Gandhāran Art: Proceedings of the Second International Workshop of the Gandhāra Connections Project, University of Oxford, 22nd-23rd March, 2018

The expression of Gandharan Art, a sacred art in the service of the hagiography of the Buddha, varies according to the regions where it developed. Many grey areas still remain, in regard to dating, defining foreign and local influences, and understanding the operating mode of ancient workshops, and of the circulation of artists and models. Indeed, we can observe so many cases of diverse artistic influences, distinctive execution, and iconographic specificities, that it becomes problematic to properly apprehend and understand the evolution, exchanges, and interactions that make Gandharan art so alive and perennial. As part of this workshop dedicated to the Geography of Gandharan Art, we are going to consider the case of the modeling school of Haḍḍa in Afghanistan, first through some eloquent examples of similarities between its artistic production, and those of other sites from the region. We will then examine cases of original and unique artistic expression, in particular the creation of three-dimensional modelled representations, becoming more and more detached from their support, and characterized by a strong Hellenistic heritage. We will also present some peculiar iconographic choices and examples of painting revealing various artistic influences. Lastly, before concluding, we will explain what the examination and analysis of the whole decoration of the monastic complex of Haḍḍa teaches us regarding the evolution of the Buddhist doctrine.

THE ART OF THE COURT: Some Remarks on the Historical Stratigraphy of Eastern Iranian Elements in Early Buddhist Painting of Alchi, Ladakh | 2007

TEXT, IMAGE AND SONG in Transdisciplinary Dialogue: PIATS 2003: Proceedings of the 10th seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, eds. C. Jahoda, D. Klimburg-Salter, K.Tropper, OXFORD, LEIDEN (Brill), 2007

Islamic Arts and the Expression of Theology: Acehnese Traditional House, Its Ornamentation and Figurative Motifs

Wacana Seni Journal of Arts Discourse , 2018

As cultural expression, Islamic arts are coloured by the theologies of the different Islamic sects. However, the discussion of the cultural expressions such as living images and their links to theological expressions has received little attention of scholars. With respect to this, two distinctive views on living images have emerged, including the salafist and the traditionalist views. The salafist view tends to reject living images as the expressions of Islamic arts, whereas traditionalists recognise living images as part of Islamic expressions of arts. This article attempts to demonstrate the modes of living images, which are argued as part of Acehnese Islamic arts and are used in the traditional houses of Rumoh Aceh. Based on a semiotic analysis of the images and historical approach to Rumoh Aceh ornamentation, I argue that earlier motifs of Acehnese ornamentation reflect the salafist view that insists on Arabic calligraphic, geometric and flowery motifs. However, during the colonial period and the 20th century, Rumoh Aceh's ornamentation has been greatly influenced by the traditionalist theology arts. This is evidenced by the use of animal images, like buraqs, peacocks, pigeons and ducks. This study is significant in that it can contribute to the understanding of the nature of Acehnese arts and Southeast Asian Muslim cultural heritage.

Sacred Painting in Bali: Tradition in Transition. By Thomas L. Cooper. Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2005. viii, 184 pp. $45.00 (cloth).Tales from a Charmed Life: A Balinese Painter Reminisces. By Hildred Geertz and Ida Bagus Madé Togog. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2005. 246 pp. $59.00 (cloth...

The Journal of Asian Studies, 2008