I Made Jata

Hohn gives year of birth as 1920, other sources have 1922. BM and HG notes: CENTRAL - SERIOUS EARLY TEENS MEDIUM > HIGH SKILL SECOND WAVE ILLITERATE SPEAKS A LITTLE MALAY INTERVIEWED 27 PICTURES T Questionnaire: T estimated he was 15 years old in 38, mara menek truna, same age as Ida Bagoes Njoman Poedja poor, still lives with father. Father is carpenter, makes bale, Djata can make wayang figures. Mainly makes pictures. Father and mother still alive. Mother from Peninjoan. MK interview: [typed June 23, 1938] 1. has been painting about 3 years, and also cuts out wayang puppets, no other craft. teacher-none started together learning, with Reneh, has not completed a picture that some one else drew. 2. Is making pictures now more than previously. works with Ida Bagus Ketut Sali, Dewa Kompiang Pasek first picture seen was by Ngendon, has no students, but has made pictures for others to finish. works in daytime. He gets his stories from his own memory, does not get them from friend, teacher or lontar. Thinks of story first then makes picture. 3. Selling: most to Pita Maha in Ubud. Earlier he sold in the Museum Badoeng. He is member of Pitamaha. Has not sold to Tuan Hubolt but has sold to Tuan Neuhaus. Has sold directly by himself, but has not sold pictures by others. 4. Has been taught by a Dutch person. Has been taught to look at the picture from a distance, and how to put colors on. Has been to home of Spies and Bonnet. Has not worked there. Has brought completed picture to them and been corrected. Has been told by them to correct a picture. Has watched Tuan Bonnet draw with ink, and work with water-colors. Has been told to make a picture according to the wishes of the foreigner. 5. 1st picture was about Balang Tamak hunting, sold in Museum Badung (PM) He thinks the first picture-makers in Batuan were I Ngendon and I Patra. First picture he saw was by Ngendon. 6. Likes: in wayang -- Tuwalen; story -- Bawang-Kesuna; Likes "barong melampahan ring wayang", likes to watch dancing. Likes to draw best figures from the wayang. Likes the ngucek step best in making a picture. Has never seen endihan, tonya or leyak. Has never been karawuhan. Dares to do most of the things on the list. 7. Has never lived outside Batuan. 8. Has been to: Huboldt, Museum, Toko Ikan, Spies, Bonnet, Meier, but not to Sanur people. Or to the other places on the list except Kerta Ghosa, Besakih, and movies. ***** co-artists of his pictures in coll. -IBPutu Sentoelan (several), AAPoetoe Renda, Dewa Ketoet Pasek. Not mentioned in other interviews. ******** first pic in collection 2/17/37, already good. last 3/38 first ritual picture is 9/6/37. Some unusual stories depicted, but did not dictate texts. Galestin says he is mentioned in 1936 article in Djawa, as having had a picture in the Djogja show at Museum Sana Boedaya. Djata's figures are rounded, like Ngendon's and Tombelos. Stories not conventional. B137 12/37 has wayang puppets and Spies mountains. May, 36 - June, 37 One small MEDIUM SKILL picture of men killing pig, no date FIRST LARGE: Feb. 17, 37, 14x19, sangkep leyak, is medium skill, original, well put together. 2 HIGH SKILL dated 2/37 of Lightning and baris Melampahan 1 dated 12/37 Batara Kala's birth, MEDIUM/HIGH SKILL all four of these show complete competence with large composition, rounded figures, knowledgable about wayang figures and dance postures, and are about stories. July, 37 - Mar, 38 Aug, 37 from PM, Empu Bharada HIGH SKILL in early months, Oct and Nov, large number of simple inked drawings of LOW SKILL, illustrating various stories. seems like response to announced desire of M and B for small pix. Dec, 37 two large pictures, MEDIUM/HIGH SKILL, Sang Kul Putih, Mayadanawa. like the ones of 2/37 and 12/37 Continued working in post-war time

The son of a poor carpenter, he did not attend school, but could speak a little Malay. In 1948, he was appointed as a teacher in art at a short-lived artisans' school established by the colonial government.