Keris golok?

[drdavid]

Hi Jussi
This is just my personal take on the issue so bear with me

Keris is art not science. There is one (maybe two) universal language of science. There is no universal language of art and there is no universal language of keris. It seems to me that if one's keris background is Jawa it is a bit like ones art background is France, if one's keris background is Malay peninsular it is a bit like one's art background is Japan............there has been cross fertilisation between the two worlds, there are similar motifs, the techniques interplay, and both are very knowledgeable........ but the words are often not interchangeable. What is interchangeable is some perception of quality, and an appreciation of the beauty and cultural significance . Keris study can be very frustrating (particularly the name game) but when I reach that point I ask myself how would 20 people from around the world interpret Van Gogh's (or Van Gough's) Starry Night.....most would appreciate the image and skill, but the words they use to describe it, they would be different.

It would also be impossible for me to know exactly why Van Gogh painted this scene in this manner at that time, unless he had written his reasons at the time, so I become reliant on other people's interpretation of the work OR I make my own story based about what I know of his life, painting style, emotional response to the image etc. Of course none of my story or someone else's interpretation is the truth .
cheers
DrD