A photo from the collection of Belgian/Indonesian painter Adrien Jean le Mayeur. The artist arrived in Bali by ship in 1932. According to Wikipedia he then stayed in Denpasar Le Mayeur and was fascinated by what remained then of Balinese culture, including the Balinese people’s traditional way of life, the temple rituals and local dances. He was also impressed by the light, color and beauty of the surroundings in the then still quite unspoilt island.
Le Mayeur rented a house in banjar Kelandis, Denpasar, where he got acquainted with 15-year-old legong dancer, Ni, known by her nickname Ni Pollok , who later on became Le Mayeur’s model for his paintings.
I spent several winters in Ubud in the early 1990s.
Even sixty years later it was a magical island.
