Friday, December 14, 2018

Awesome Dioramas in Bali

In early October 2018 I went on a family Holiday to Bali and while I have been to Bali a few times before it was my first visit to the Bajra Sandhi Monument in Denpasar. I read in Lonely Planet that it contained some Dioramas that display moments in time of Bali history so I was eager to see it and tick it off my ever expanding list of things to see in Bali. From memory all up there was around 20 Dioramas of excellent quality. Balinese craft work has a fantastic history of high quality and attention to detail. The glass windowed large Dioramas feature trick geometry in the buildings and larger figures at the front with smaller scales at the rear to create fantastic perspective and depth illusions. The superb background paintings that almost flawlessly meet the ground only add to the illusion. I didn't capture that many photos as you can see below. The struggle against the Dutch over time is featured a lot. The international Air-Port in Bali is named after one of the famous freedom fighters Ngurah Rai. For a sometimes miniature painter like me it's always a pleasure to gaze upon these fantastic creations.

Inside the walls of the Monument.  

Japanese occupation WWII. Handing out beatings for Road construction.

Dutch beach landing and assault.

Dutch attack on Balinese royalty.

Japanese surrender in Bali. Mount Agung in background.

More warfare with the Dutch forces.

Cheers from Brendon.

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