Ubud Bali

Ubud is known worldwide for its painting style. This Ubud painting style has attracted foreign painters since the 1930s. The role of foreign painters on Ubud painting has been important. They have kept the spirit of native Ubud painting while developing dimensional effects. Thay have also promoted the Ubud style abroad through exhibitions.

The anthropologists’ role in describing Ubud as the colony of artists has been significant as has their role in writing about Ubud and Bali in general. Ubud and Mas are two areas separated by only three kms. Mas, in the 1970s was a village, while Ubud had been a small town and the home of the Ubud king’s palace. Both Ubud and Mas have been attracting many visitors. The king of Ubud approved the construction of the first hotel on the slope of Campuhan River, which is now Hotel Campuhan. There are now an abundance of hotels and guesthouses throughout Ubud. Some local people even changed their houses into guest house, and originally offered them free to the visitors and artists who wanted to stay longterm in Ubud. Starting in the 1980s Ubud, like Kuta and Sanur, saw a great deal of hotel construction. No doubt a lot of the natural beauty of Ubud was destroyed by this development. Today Ubud has even more hotels than Sanur. There are hotels of every price range and class.. There are three hotel areas: in the town proper, in Kedewatan, and in the Pejeng area. The luxury hotels are mainly situated along the slopes overlooking the Agung River. Ubud hosts some of the most expensive hotels in Bali.

Ubud itself is like a museum. There are art Galleries everywhere: studios and private art collections. Pita Maha is the first foundation in Ubud to organize painting and carving artists into an association.

The foundation has called Ratna Warta Museum, the oldest fine arts museum in Ubud. The curator of the museum is the king of Ubud, Tjokorda Gede Soekawati; and the opening was attended by the minister of culture and education of the Republic of Indonesia. Then there is the Neka Museum This is the second museum in Ubud, owned by Sutedja Neka, an Ubud resident. The museum is located around 500 meters to the north of the bridge in Campuhan. They have a collection of various paintings, mainly Ubud style and Batuan style. Agung Rai Fine Arts Museum is the latest and biggest museum, located in southern Ubud, and owned by Anak Agung Rai.. Exhibitions here are of various paintings styles: Ubud style, as well as other Indonesian and foreign styles. The curator of the museum also organizes some art activities that can be joined by the guests.

The first village to have developed wood carvings was actually Sumampan village, belonging to Sukawati Kecamatan area; the location is close to Ubud. Wood carving was then developed in popular Mas village. Carving for Balinese was a kind of religious expression. Everywhere in Bali there are at least one or two carvers in a village. Sumampan village is known for the fine black ebony wood carvings used for the figures of Ramayana. Tengkulak village is known for animal carvings such as ducks, chicken and others.
Bitra village is known for their fish carvings and frogs.Tegalalang – known for their plantation carvings: flowers,, complete trees, bananas trees . Mas has mixed carving style. And most of the areas carvers have moved to this village.