Ida Bagus Made Togog (1913–1989) was a traditional painter in the Batuan style, Gianyar, Bali. Since childhood, Togog was very familiar with literature in the form of lontar, mythological stories, and folklore. These things become a source of inspiration in painting. When two anthropologists, Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead conducted research on Balinese characters in Batuan Village from 1936 to 1938, Togog was asked to describe his dream expression. At that time, Togog produced dozens of paintings on paper with thematic themes of dreamland and niskala (unseen) with magical nuances. Togog's works can be found at the Puri Painting Museum, ARMA Museum, Bali Museum, Neka Museum, Tropenmuseum, Ethnography Museum in Leiden.
"Togog was a leader in the group of Batuan artists, in painting, in teaching painting to others, and in selling pictures. He was also one of the oldest, about twenty-five in 1937, was married and hadone child. His father had died when he was twelve
years old, and his mother supported him by selling foodstuffs. His grandparents had been priests. His wife was a weaver and a ritual specialist. Along with Ngendon, Togog was among the first to learn to paint, about two and a half years before Mead and Bateson arrived. He had painted designs on dancer's costumes and knew how to write classical Balinese on palm-leaf manuscripts.
He was also a ritual specialist. Togog often visited Spies and Bonnet, watched them work, and tried to copy Bonnet's work and a picture from a magazine. He showed them his own work for criticism, and was a member of their artist's collective, Pita Maha. Togog spent time as a migrant farm laborer, plating coconut trees and working in a coffee plantation in the mountains.
Togog assisted Bateson in checking the attributions of the paintings. He made eighty-three pictures in the collection."
Ida Bagus Made Togog (1913–1989) adalah pelukis tradisional gaya Batuan, Gianyar, Bali. Sejak kecil Togog sangat akrab dengan pustaka berupa lontar, cerita mitologi, dan cerita rakyat. Hal-hal itu banyak menjadi sumber inspirasinya dalam melukis. Ketika dua antropolog, Gregory Bateson dan Margaret Mead melakukan penelitian tentang karakter orang Bali di Desa Batuan pada 1936 hingga 1938, Togog diminta melukiskan ekspresi mimpinya. Saat itu, Togog menghasilkan puluhan lukisan di atas kertas dengan tematik alam mimpi dan alam niskala (gaib) yang bernuansa magis. Karya-karya Togog bisa dijumpai di Museum Puri Lukisan, Museum ARMA, Museum Bali, Museum Neka, Tropenmuseum, Museum Etnografi di Leiden.
Enable comment auto-refresher