[.hometown.deco.]

You may consider this a ’sequel’ to the previous entry :-)

Still about the nice things I recently ‘noticed’ in my hometown. It is so interesting how things you’re focusing on suddenly pop-up everywhere and catch your attention. It becomes more interesting when you realize that those things have actually existed for long time, only that you had never noticed them before! Sounds like synchronicity.

It happened to me. A few years ago, while visiting Sweden, I was smitten by the colourful, flowery borders painted on every entrance-top at the Gothenburg City Museum (too bad taking pictures wasn’t allowed). Also, the border paintings at Swedish painter Carl Larsson’s home in Sundborn (couldn’t take pictures either). The result of this newly-found love was the inspiration for “toppers” (you can find them on my graphic sites) : the graphics that can be used to top a page or table, creating a roof-like or border images.

Much to my joy, again, I spotted these deco-details at the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta. The funny thing is, I had visited the palace many times but never paid attention to these. Even I found that the food at the palace’s restaurant was presented in a unique way (and tasted really good, too!). I was ‘culturally’ excited. Being inspired is the best experience for the artist in me. Even better it came from my own hometown :-)



The front hall of the Royal Palace



I really like the [mix-matched] patterns for the fences, pillars, tiles, roof edge...



The hall in the middle part of the palace compound. Somehow I had the impression that the deco-patterns were 'European' with 'Javanese' colours - the Royal Palace's colours.









Javanese alphabets can make a nice decoration, too :-)



Greens really dominate the colours in the royal palace - especially these particular greens (picture above, front hall of the palace's restaurant) which are used in many parts of the palace, and in many houses or buildings in town, to give a royal Javanese feeling.

pssst: my mom used the same green paints for our house. Should look for some pictures.



The food is presented in a real Javanese way : batik table cloth (in the traditional colours: white from the linen, brown and black from the wax), wooden tray with batik patterns, wooden place mat, bowl-base from vernished rattan, and stupa-inspired ceramic candle holder



Grilled cassava - reportedly the Queen's favorite snack



Another favorite...rolled banana with palm sugar

Links:
The Royal Palace of Yogyakarta: http://www.yogyes.com/en/yogyakarta-tourism-object/places-of-interest/kraton/
The restaurant at the Royal Palace: www.yogyes.com/bale-raos