Dancing Ganesha: I Ketut Tulak and the Sense of Detail

Ganesha by I Ketut Tulak, second half of the 20th century, 26.5 cm, private collection

This small figure of a dancing Ganesha is signed by I Ketut Tulak. Although Tulak is generally recognized as a master, little information about him is available in French or English. Born in 1927, he appears to have been active until the early 21st century. His work demonstrates a keen sense of line and a remarkable ability to vary styles in the depiction of traditional themes, moving fluidly between grace and playfulness. He also produced very large reliefs depicting grimacing male faces, which illustrate his mastery of the art of caricature.

Ganesha is the god with the elephant head. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati. But accounts of his birth differ, and he is sometimes said to be the son of Parvati alone. According to tradition, he served as Vyasa’s scribe for the writing of the Mahabharata. God of wisdom, intelligence, and prudence, he is the one who removes obstacles. He is often shown with a youthful body, sometimes in a dancing pose that expresses joy and vitality.

This is how Tulak chose to depict him in this sculpture. The elephant-headed god is captured in a dynamic and graceful pose. He displays a broad smile. His plump body combines fluid lines—such as those defining the contours of the trunk, which seem to flow in harmony with the wood grain—with very fine attention to anatomical detail. Subtle variations in modeling suggest the play of muscles beneath the skin. On the foot or behind the knee, Tulak even hints at tendons through discreet raised lines. The small surface of contact between the base and the figure—Ganesha stands on the tip of his left foot, the right suspended three millimeters above the base—constitutes a modest feat of craftsmanship and elegantly conveys the idea of a suspended moment.

From what I have observed, some of Tulak’s statues show clear similarities—in the choice and treatment of the motif—to those of I Made Runda, another master of the same period. Did the two sculptors know each other? Did they collaborate? Or were they engaged in a kind of long-distance dialogue through their respective creations? At present, I do not have the knowledge necessary to answer these questions.