Early life

Sobrat was the son of an aristocratic family from the town of Padangtegal

Padangtegal

Padangtegal is a village in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.It is the home to the Ubud Monkey Forestwhich contains the Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal temple as well as a "Holy Spring" bathing temple and another temple used for cremation ceremonies....

 in Ubud

Ubud

Ubud is a town on the Indonesian island of Bali in Ubud District, located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the Gianyar regency...

. Prior to World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, he was also known as I Dewa Sobrat.
As a child, he was exposed to various forms of art such as shadow puppet performances and sacred dances at the village's temples. He learned to make shadow puppets from his grandfather. This became the basis for his skillful depiction of the Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

 and Mahabharata

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

 in his early paintings.

Influence of Walter Spies

Sobrat and his neighbor Anak Agung Gde Meregeg were the first two artists in Padangtegal to meet Walter Spies

Walter Spies

Walter Spies was a Russian-born German primitivist painter. In 1923 he came to Java, living first in Yogyakarta and then in Ubud, Bali starting in 1927. He is often credited with attracting the attention of Western cultural figures to Balinese culture and art.In 1937, Spies built what he described...

, at the end of 1920s. Spies was a German artist who together with Rudolf Bonnet

Rudolf Bonnet

Johan Rudolf Bonnet was a Dutch artist who lived much of his life in the town of Ubud on Bali, Indonesia....

 was thought to be the agent of change for the modernization of Balinese art.
Sobrat worked and lived with Spies for a year.
Spies' influence can be seen in his early works, particularly those with split or double horizons. He learned western style painting from Spies and Rudolf Bonnet

Rudolf Bonnet

Johan Rudolf Bonnet was a Dutch artist who lived much of his life in the town of Ubud on Bali, Indonesia....

. In the early 1930s, Bonnet considered him to be the most talented Balinese artist of the period for his drawing skill, color composition and his versatility. It is from Bonnet that he learned portraiture.

From 1957 and 1959 Sobrat taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Yogyakarta.

Works

In his early career, before 1930, Sobrat produced mainly Wayang

Wayang

Wayang is a Javanese word for theatre . When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theatre, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang...

 (shadow style) paintings. Some of his early works can be found in the Museum Puri Lukisan

Museum Puri Lukisan

The Puri Lukisan Museum is the oldest art museum in Ubud, Bali specializing in modern traditional Balinese paintings and wood carvings. The Museum is located in Ubud, Bali – Indonesia...

 in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Sobrat produced many portraits, mostly of his daughter.

Reception

Bonnet once wrote that Anak Agung Gde Sobrat was the most talented artist in Bali

Bali

Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...

. His works can be found in several museums throughout the world: Bali Museum; Museum Puri Lukisan - Ubud, Bali; Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam or simply Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum in Amsterdam, located on the Museumplein. The museum is dedicated to arts, crafts, and history. It has a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and a substantial collection of Asian art...

 voor Volkenkunde - Leiden; and Tropenmuseum

Tropenmuseum

The Tropenmuseum is an anthropological museum located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and established in 1864.One of the largest museums in Amsterdam, the museum accommodates eight permanent exhibitions and an ongoing series of temporary exhibitions, including both modern and traditional visual...

 - Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

. In Bali, his pre-war and modern works can be viewed at the Puri Lukisan Museum.