Walter Spies

Full Name

Walter Spies

Pen Name

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Place

Ubud

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Biography

In English

Walter Spies is a German artist born in Moscow, September 15, 1895. Apart from being a painter, he was also a music and dance artist. In 1923 he came to Java and settled in Yogyakarta. He worked as a court pianist and was asked to help with the palace's artistic activities. He was the first to introduce numerical notation for gamelan in the Yogyakarta palace. This notation was later developed in other palaces and is used today.

After his contract was completed in Yogyakarta, Spies moved to Ubud, Bali, in 1927. He was close friends with the King of Ubud, Tjokorda Gede Agoeng Soekawati. Spies also got to know many local artists and was very impressed with Balinese art. He collaborated with Wayan Limbak, polishing the sacred Cak dance into Kecak.

With the support of the King of Ubud, together with the Dutch painter, Rudolf Bonnet, Spies founded Pita Maha, a community of Balinese artists in 1936. Spies also introduced many modern artist techniques to Balinese artists. There are still quite a lot of followers of Walter Spies' painting style in the Ubud area.

Spies died on January 19, 1942 when his ship Van Imhoff was bombed by Japanese forces during World War II.

In Balinese

In Indonesian

Walter Spies adalah seniman Jerman kelahiran Moskow, 15 September 1895. Selain pelukis, dia juga adalah seorang seniman musik dan tari. Pada tahun 1923 dia datang ke Jawa dan menetap pertama kali di Yogyakarta. Dia bekerja sebagai pianis istana dan diminta membantu kegiatan seni keraton. Dialah yang pertama kali memperkenalkan notasi angka bagi gamelan di keraton Yogyakarta. Notasi ini kemudian dikembangkan di keraton-keraton lain dan digunakan hingga sekarang.

Setelah kontraknya selesai di Yogyakarta, Spies lalu pindah ke Ubud, Bali, pada tahun 1927. Dia bersahabat dekat dengan Raja Ubud, Tjokorda Gede Agoeng Soekawati. Spies juga banyak berkenalan dengan seniman lokal dan sangat kagum dengan kesenian Bali. Dalam seni tari dia bekerja sama dengan Wayan Limbak, memoles tari sakral Cak menjadi Kecak.

Atas dukungan Raja Ubud, bersama pelukis Belanda, Rudolf Bonnet, Spies mendirikan Pita Maha, komunitas perupa Bali pada tahun 1936. Spies juga banyak memperkenalkan teknik seni modern pada seniman Bali. Hingga kini pengikut gaya seni lukis Walter Spies cukup banyak di kawasan Ubud.

Spies meninggal pada tanggal 19 Januari 1942 karena kapal Van Imhoff yang ditumpanginya dibom pasukan Jepang saat Perang Dunia ke-2.