New forged keris for review

A. G. Maisey · 17th August 2023, 10:15 AM

I'm OK with the dhapur, what turns me off is the execution, when the photo was taken from a bad angle that misrepresented proportion, and that compounded the less than good effect, but now that has been fixed the overall impression is really not so bad.

Interested Party · 17th August 2023, 02:19 PM

Are these the same blades? Very close.

Anthony G. · 18th August 2023, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Interested Party

Are these the same blades? Very close.

Yes, it is the same with the brass plating motif having warangan removed.

Jean · 18th August 2023, 08:29 AM

Personally I don't like the carving & plating of the singa, and the greneng

David · 18th August 2023, 05:15 PM

For me the "kinatah" seems to solve part of the problem i was having with the way the pamor cut so abruptly into the Singo.
There are still executions problems from my perspective with the greneng form as well as the gonjo itself which seems to lack the gracefulness i expect to see in gonjo wilut.
I also agree with Alan that the perspective with which the original photos of this keris were shot was problematic and the overall dhapur does indeed look better in the later photos.

Anthony G. · 19th August 2023, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

For me the "kinatah" seems to solve part of the problem i was having with the way the pamor cut so abruptly into the Singo.
There are still executions problems from my perspective with the greneng form as well as the gonjo itself which seems to lack the gracefulness i expect to see in gonjo wilut.
I also agree with Alan that the perspective with which the original photos of this keris were shot was problematic and the overall dhapur does indeed look better in the later photos.

The craftsman who does it probably is a young lad lacks of experience :P

jagabuwana · 25th August 2023, 08:10 AM

Something about this comparison is reminding me of discussions in art and music regarding what the essence of the art really is, and what makes something pleasing or beautiful. Granted the keris isn't visual art as its commonly understood in the West but I think it's still apt.

In music something can be overplayed. A very good musician might come in hard and fast with something very technically complex to show her skill but the lack of restraint is perceived as tasteless or not complementary to the song as a whole.

This is similar to how we are seeing a lot of extremely talented artists who are able to paint scenes or objects that are photorealistic. The skill and execution is undeniable and awesome - but is it art? Is it beautiful? Imagine a respectable institution running a gallery of photorealistic paintings, where from a distance you thought you were just looking at high-res iPhone photography. To me that doesn't inspire much beauty or feeling.

17th August 2023, 02:19 PM	#2
Interested Party Member Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Eastern Sierra Posts: 497	Are these the same blades? Very close. Attached Images

18th August 2023, 08:29 AM	#4
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Personally I don't like the carving & plating of the singa, and the greneng Last edited by Jean; 18th August 2023 at 01:05 PM.

17th August 2023, 10:15 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	I'm OK with the dhapur, what turns me off is the execution, when the photo was taken from a bad angle that misrepresented proportion, and that compounded the less than good effect, but now that has been fixed the overall impression is really not so bad.

18th August 2023, 05:15 PM	#5
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,218	For me the "kinatah" seems to solve part of the problem i was having with the way the pamor cut so abruptly into the Singo. There are still executions problems from my perspective with the greneng form as well as the gonjo itself which seems to lack the gracefulness i expect to see in gonjo wilut. I also agree with Alan that the perspective with which the original photos of this keris were shot was problematic and the overall dhapur does indeed look better in the later photos.

25th August 2023, 08:10 AM	#7
jagabuwana Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 290	Something about this comparison is reminding me of discussions in art and music regarding what the essence of the art really is, and what makes something pleasing or beautiful. Granted the keris isn't visual art as its commonly understood in the West but I think it's still apt. In music something can be overplayed. A very good musician might come in hard and fast with something very technically complex to show her skill but the lack of restraint is perceived as tasteless or not complementary to the song as a whole. This is similar to how we are seeing a lot of extremely talented artists who are able to paint scenes or objects that are photorealistic. The skill and execution is undeniable and awesome - but is it art? Is it beautiful? Imagine a respectable institution running a gallery of photorealistic paintings, where from a distance you thought you were just looking at high-res iPhone photography. To me that doesn't inspire much beauty or feeling.