In the thirties, Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet introduced the Balinese to new techniques and themes, and the former came to be considered by them as gurus of a new type. Their works became "models" and it is, particularly interesting to compare a portrait by Bonnet, usually displaying the best anatomic skills, with its Balinese derivatives, where the anatomy has been "stiffened" into a new pattern.

To this day, patterning and repetition of forms are present as ever in Balinese "village" painting with new re-patterned influences. Even when a painting consists of only one or two iconographic elements-say, an offering-carrying women or a couple of birds-there are good chance of the same elements will be reproduced in an exactly similar way in another one.

The aesthetic enjoyment of a Balinese painting does not come from a direct, visual impact, but from a patient learning. Balinese painting is more "poetry" than painting. We read it, savoring like words the shock of its patterned lines, curves and colors.

To look for Balinese painting, the art lover is strongly advised to visit the painters in their village of origin. It is an easy task, as the schools of painting distributed geographically.

The village of Kamasan, near Semarapura, specializes in making paintings after the traditional wayang style: its best artists are Maku Mura and Madra.