The artist’s challenge
Long before focusing on the establishment of the museum, Pendet had been obsessed with the idea of conserving his statues and paintings. In 1982 he was deeply touched by a feeling of regret that the artists at that time no longer valued their own pieces. Many artists made reproductions of their works and sold them as commodities, seeming to have lost the sense of idealism in their creations. Pendet took initiatives to convince the sculptors within his "banjar" community, namely Nyuh Gading village, that they should want to save some of their works, not sell them all. He wanted to ensure that the coming generations could enjoy them and use them as reference for further development of the creative process.

The idealism of the Balinese artists was challenged, and they were confronted with two choices: a choice between quality artistic orientation, and meeting the demands of the tourism business, which put limitations on the creative process. Pendet had a vision for the future, and he was a pioneer in the idea of not making reproductions of his works. Nothing could give him greater satisfaction than working under the forces of pure and integrated emotion stemming from the depth of the artist’s heart.

Pendet was concerned with making a distinction between the production of handicrafts, on the one hand, and the production of works of art as the reflection of the artist’s pure inner self.

Art for the future
Like many other museums in Ubud, Museum Pendet reflects an analysis of the historical value of the memory. The progress of the creative artistic process through time has been recorded for all to share. However, more than that, this museum has a special value, because it has been intended not only for recording almost half a century of individual creativity, but also for moving the hearts of future generations.

This museum has been established as a living museum, which constantly reminds us of the creative process that must not be hindered. All his life, Wayan Pendet kept on creating and working towards artistic maturity. The word "finished" did not enter his vocabulary, and he continued to experiment and improve.

Pendet’s inspiration is like a river whose waters keep flowing with meaning for the next generation, to motivate the continuation of the creative process.

end

above :some of Pendet's painting, showing his charasteristic style
photos by Agus Spa
and Museum Pendet collection

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