john.robert_mcpherson
23 Palm Beach (Qld) SLSC visiting an artist's residence, Iseh, Bali, Indonesia. September 1977
23 Palm Beach (Qld) SLSC visiting an artist's residence, Iseh, Bali, Indonesia. September 1977.
Walter Spies was an amazing fellow, however rightly or wrongly he interpreted Bali and its culture. I liked his veranda too and could have spent a little more time there pondering his taro pond. The architecture of the residence demonstrated that the man appreciated how to live and work well in a warm climate. Spies was also a selfless man who encouraged art and music and helped Balinese artists establish themselves in a blended style that was unique to themselves. He made it possible for them to enter a Western economy where art became a product as much as an achievement -- and food was put on the artists' tables as a result.
Spies was always on the edge of scandal, as a temperamental artist should be. He was arrested in 1939 during a crackdown on homosexuals. His many influential friends and admirers managed to secure his release however.
Regrettably he could not escape the politics of the Europe that he had abandoned. As a German national Spies was arrested and deported by the Dutch administration in 1942. The Japanese unfortunately sank the ship carrying him to Sri Lanka and he perished along with most of the other deportees. A sad end for a talented and generous man.
23 Palm Beach (Qld) SLSC visiting an artist's residence, Iseh, Bali, Indonesia. September 1977
23 Palm Beach (Qld) SLSC visiting an artist's residence, Iseh, Bali, Indonesia. September 1977.
Walter Spies was an amazing fellow, however rightly or wrongly he interpreted Bali and its culture. I liked his veranda too and could have spent a little more time there pondering his taro pond. The architecture of the residence demonstrated that the man appreciated how to live and work well in a warm climate. Spies was also a selfless man who encouraged art and music and helped Balinese artists establish themselves in a blended style that was unique to themselves. He made it possible for them to enter a Western economy where art became a product as much as an achievement -- and food was put on the artists' tables as a result.
Spies was always on the edge of scandal, as a temperamental artist should be. He was arrested in 1939 during a crackdown on homosexuals. His many influential friends and admirers managed to secure his release however.
Regrettably he could not escape the politics of the Europe that he had abandoned. As a German national Spies was arrested and deported by the Dutch administration in 1942. The Japanese unfortunately sank the ship carrying him to Sri Lanka and he perished along with most of the other deportees. A sad end for a talented and generous man.