Commentary on contemporary puppet

Emigration from Kartasura Kasunanan palace to the village of Solo (Surakarta now) brought progress in the art of puppetry as well. Which is the art of puppetry arts with the main character pakeliran dalang is an art form combined elements of art inlaid decoration (fine arts) with a puppet show accompanied by gending (rhythm) gamelan, colored dialog (anta-discourse), presents the play and pitutur (instructions) in the philosophy of human life.
The art of puppetry can be held in the form of puppet prototype, against a background screen (screen) with the main story of the Mahabharata and Ramayana source, comes from India. But there is also a prototype with a leather puppet theater stories gleaned from the teachings of Buddhism, such as stories related to ruwatan ceremony (purification of human beings). Leather puppet prototype typically takes all night.
During Sri Susuhunan 10, in Solo founded where staging puppet people, namely in Sri Wedari which is a form of puppet stage with the players consisted of those who portray the characters puppets. Both the story and the dialogue is carried out by each player itself. This show was held regularly every night. Variations in other forms of wayang puppet show that is made ​​up of wooden dolls.
Chinese artists who are also sometimes held in Solo Chinese puppet show called Puppet Potehi. With stories of China and China's distinctive musical accompaniment. There is also a puppet in the shape beber a painted sheet of cloth and told by the puppeteers, the story ranges from the palace Kediri, Ngurawan, Singasari (The play of Panji). Puppet klitik is the media type the characters puppets made ​​of wood, the story is taken from the end of the Majapahit tripe (Dharmawulan story). Sometimes used to make a puppet of the grass, called grass puppet (puppet suket).
Javanese people have a kind of traditional art that can live and grow up now and be able to touch hearts, and soulful, which is the art of puppetry. Apart from being a powerful communication tool and a means of understanding life, for the Javanese wayang is the symbolism of the views of Javanese life on matters of life.
World of the puppet as if the Java is not only dealing with general theories about human beings, but rather models of life and human behavior is described concretely. Essentially contain conception puppet art that can be used as a guide the attitudes and actions of a particular social group.
Conceptions are organized into cultural values ​​are implicit and reflected in the elements of his stories, whether in view of the attitude towards the nature of life, origin and purpose of life, human relationships with God, man's relationship with the environment and man's relationship with another man.
Wayang puppet performances especially are often associated with traditional ceremonies: marriages, births salvation, moving house, circumcision, etc.. Usually presented in the stories that interpret the celebration meant, for example in the story that captured marriage celebration "Kromo Parto" (marriage Arjuno), a celebration of the birth story of Abhimanyu was born to be shown, if applicable, take the story "Muwa Kala" (Ruwatan).
After the puppet was widespread at the time of the Mataram kingdom, in the 18th century AD, R.Ng.Ranggawarsito, an illustrious poet of Surakarta who compiled a book on the history of puppetry are summarized in the King Library Purwa fibers which in the subsequent development of a reference to the masterminds .
In Those days many were produced literature submer That puppet theater stories in the puppet show increasingly Become Diverse prototypes. While the puppet theater in Yogyakarta area comes from the Fibers Purwakandha written during the reign of the kingdom Hamengkubuwono V Ngayogyakarta.