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HISTORY OF MALAYSIAN ART

(VCL 215)Prof. Dr. Muliyadi Mahamood

Liberal Studies Department, FSSR03-5544 4103, 017-284 0593

[email protected]; [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

OBJECTIVESTHE STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

1. UNDERSTAND THE DEVELOPMENT OF MALAYSIAN CONTEMPORAY ART IN RELATION TO SOCIO-CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY.

2. ANALYZE STYLISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF MALAYSIAN CONTEMPORARY ART.

3. CONDUCT RESEARCH ON MALAYSIAN CONTEMPORARY ART IN TERMS OF FORM, CONTENT AND CULTURAL CONTEXT.

SYLLABUS CONTENTI. EARLY MALAYSIAN ART• COLONIAL PAINTERS• PENANG WATERCOLORISTS• NANYANG PAINTERS

II. THE PRE-INDEPENDENCE ERA• WEDNESDAY ART GROUP• ANGKATAN PELUKIS

SEMENANJUNG/SEMALAYSIA• CONTEMPORARY BATIK PAINTERS

SYLLABUS CONTENTIII. THE POST-INDEPENDENCE ERA• UNIVERSAL STYLE IN MALAYSIAN

ART• THE NEW SCENE PAINTERS• ARTWORKS OF THE POST-

NATIONAL CULTURAL CONGRESS: SEARCHING FOR IDENTITY

SYLLABUS CONTENTIV. THE PLURALIST ERA• PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND

PRINTMAKING• INSTALLATION AND ELECTRONIC

ART• NEW MEDIA AND DIGITAL ART

EVALUATION

• COURSE WORK/ASSIGNMENT : 40%

• FINAL EXAM : 60%• TOTAL : 100%

TEXT BOOK• Muliyadi Mahamood, 2007. Modern

Malaysian Art: From the Pioneering Era to the Pluralist Era (1930s-1990s). Kuala Lumpur: Utusan Publication and Distributors Sdn. Bhd.

MALAYSIAN CONTEMPORARY ART 1930s-2010

1930s-1960s: • PENANG WATERCOLORISTS• NANYANG PAINTERS• WEDNESDAY ART GROUP• ANGKATAN PELUKIS SEMENANJUNG• BATIK PAINTINGS

Abdullah Ariff, 1948. “Coconut Plantation-Dawn”, water color, 38x56cm.

Georgette Chen, 1960, “Mother and Child”, oil paint, 64 x 80 cm

Nik Zainal Abidin, 1959. “Wayang Kulit Kelantan”, oil paint, 81.6 x 106.7 cm

Mazli Mat Som, 1961. “Menanti Nelayan”, oil paint, 76 x 92 cm

MALAYSIAN CONTEMPORARY ART 1930s-2010

1960s: • UNIVERSAL STYLE IN MALAYSIAN

PAINTINGS1970s-1980s:• THE SEARCH FOR IDENTITY1990s-2010:• THE PLURALIST ERA

Syed Ahmad Jamal, 1961. “Tulisan”, oil paint, 33 x 74 cm

Ibrahim Hussein, 1969, “My Father and the Astronout”.

Sulaiman Esa, “Garden of Certainty II”, 1995.

Yusof Ghani, 1988. “Siri Tari X/88”, Mixed media, 128 x 183 cm

Awang Damit Ahmad, 1998. “Marista Pun-pun”, mixed media, 153x183 cm.

ART APPRECIATION

ART WORK• FORM

• CONTENT• CONTEXT

VISUAL CULTURE

VISUAL CULTURE SPANS A VAST RANGE OF EXPERIENCE

WORLD OF VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS

• TELEVISION, FILMS, VIDEOS, ADVERTISEMENTS, TRAFFIC SIGNS, SIGNALS IN BOTH URBAN AND RURAL ENVIRONMENTS WARNING AND ALERTING US, GRAFFITI ON BUILDINGS AND VEHICLES, PHOTOGRAPHS IN NEWSPAPERS, PAINTINGS IN GALLERIES, SERIAL STRIPS AND CARTOONS, THE PACKAGING ON CONSUMER GOODS

NONE OF THESE

FORMS OF COMMUNICATION IS OUTSIDE HISTORY: ALL ARE

DETERMINED BY HOW WE LIVE AND INTERACT WITH OUR ENVIRONMENTS

NOW AS WELL AS BY WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST

METHODOLOGIES OF ART HISTORY

• FORMAL ANALYSIS• CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

• BIOGRAPHY

FORMAL ANALYSIS• FORMAL ANALYSIS: DESCRIBING AND

ANALYSING WHAT YOU SEE IN A WORK OF ART; LOOKING AT THE WORK OF ART TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ARTIST WANTS TO CONVEY VISUALLY.

FORMAL ELEMENTS• COLOUR

• LINE• SCALE• SHAPE• LIGHT

• COMPOSITION

COMPOSITION• BALANCE• ORDER

• PROPORTION• RHYTHM



FORMAL ANALYSIS• IN A SENSE, THERE’S NO SUCH THING

AS PURE FORMAL ANALYSIS, TOTALLY DIVORCED FROM CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS.

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS• CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS: TRYING TO

UNDERSTAND THE WORK OF ART IN A PARTICULAR CULTURAL MOMENT.

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS• THIS CAN MEAN FOCUSING ON THE

WORK OF ART IN ITS OWN TIME OR AT ANOTHER POINT IN HISTORY. IT CAN ALSO MEAN LOOKING AT THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL, SPIRITUAL AND/OR ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WORK.



CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS• PEOPLE INVOLVED• PHYSICAL ASPECT

• SOCIAL ISSUES

CONTEXTUAL QUESTIONS:FOCUS ON THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN

THE CREATION

• WHO WERE THE PATRON, ARTIST, VIEWERS?

• WHAT SORTS OF RECORDS DID THE ARTIST LEAVE ABOUT THE CREATION OF THIS WORK?

• DID THE ARTIST SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HIS OR HER INTENTIONS IN CREATING THE WORK?

CONTEXTUAL QUESTIONS:FOCUS ON THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN

THE CREATION

• WHAT WERE THE PATRON’S MOTIVES IN SPONSORING THIS WORK?

• WERE OTHER ARTISTS OR WORKSHOP ASSISTANTS INVOLVED?

CONTEXTUAL QUESTIONS:FOCUS ON THE PHYSICAL WORK OF

ART, ITS LOCATION AND USE

• WHEN WAS THIS WORK MADE?• WHERE WAS IT ORIGINALLY

LOCATED?• DOES THE WORK MAKE USE OF RARE

AND COSTLY MATERIAL?• DOES IT INCLUDE MATERIALS THAT

HAVE RITUAL OR SYMBOLIC VALUE?

CONTEXTUAL QUESTIONS:FOCUS ON SOCIAL ISSUES

• WHAT WAS THE POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS OR SOCIAL CONTEXT IN WHICH THIS WORK WAS CREATED?

• WHAT IS THE SUBJECT?• WHAT POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS AND/OR

SOCIAL MESSAGES ARE BEING CONVEYED?

• WAS THIS A NEW OR INNOVATIVE ARTISTIC STYLE?

BIOGRAPHICAL METHOD• THE BIOGRAPHICAL METHOD OF ART

HISTORY APPROACHES WORKS OF ART IN RELATION TO THE ARTIST’S LIFE AND PERSONALITY. IT ASSUMES A DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN ARTISTS AND THEIR ART, AND IT TAKES SERIOUSLY THE NOTION OF AUTHORSHIP.

BIOGRAPHICAL METHOD• THE MEANING OF A WORK, ITS

CONCEPTION AND EXECUTION, IS SEEN AS ULTIMATELY DETERMINED BY THE ARTIST, WITH SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS PLAYING A SECONDARY ROLE.

BIOGRAPHICAL METHOD• THE BIOGRAPHICAL METHOD RELIES

ON TEXTS CONCERNING THE ARTIST’S LIFE, AND ALSO REQUIRES THAT ONE KNOW WHICH ARTIST MADE WHICH WORK.

THE ORIGINS OF ART HISTORY

• RENAISSANCE: VASARI’S LIVES OF THE ARTISTS

Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574)

STYLE“A SYSTEM OF FORMS WITH A QUALITY

AND A MEANINGFUL EXPRESSION THROUGH WHICH THE PERSONALITY

OF THE ARTISTS AND THE BROAD OUTLOOK OF A GROUP ARE VISIBLE”

(SCHAPIRO, 1953)

WORK OF ART“THE WORK OF ART IS NOT ONLY A

SOURCE OF COMPLEX PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO HAS

ANOTHER KIND OF COMPLEXITY. IT IS THE OUTCOME OF AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONDITIONS: PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL

AND STYLISTIC” (ARNOLD HAUSER, 1959).

WORK OF ART

• PSYCHOLOGICAL• SOCIOLOGICAL

• STYLISTIC

THE CRITICAL PROCESS• ATTENDING TO VISUAL FACTS• NAMING AND DESCRIBING THE FACTS• ANALYZING THE FACTS• INTERPRETING THE EVIDENCE• JUDGING WORKS OF ART

(FELDMAN, 1994)

ART CRITICISM• DESCRIPTION• ANALYSIS• INTERPRETATION• JUDGEMENT

• MALAYSIAN CONTEMPORARY ART

1930s-2010

FACTORSFACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE STYLE

OF MALAYSIAN CONTEMPORARY ART• COLONIZATION

• WESTERNIZATION• IMIGRATION• EDUCATION

FACTORSFACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE STYLE

OF MALAYSIAN CONTEMPORARY ART• NATIONAL CULTURAL CONGRESS

• REVIVAL OF ISLAM• POLITICS

• ECONOMY• GLOBALIZATION

COLONIZATION• ENGLISH INVOLVEMENT STARTED IN

PENANG (1786)• STRAITS SETTLEMENTS (PENANG,

MALACCA AND SINGAPORE) (1826)• PANGKOR TREATY WITH SULTAN

PERAK (1874): APPOINTMENT OF AN ENGLISH RESIDENT TO ADVISE SULTAN IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

COLONIZATION• PANGKOR TREATY WITH SULTAN

PERAK (1874): APPOINTMENT OF AN ENGLISH RESIDENT TO ADVISE SULTAN IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, EXCEPT AS FAR AS RELIGION AND MALAY CUSTOMS WERE CONCERNED

BRITISH COLONIZATION• THE BRITISH INVOLVEMENT IN

ADMINISTRATIVE AFFAIRS REFLECTED THEIR EFFORTS TO SHAPE THE COUNTRY’S SOCIO-CULTURAL IDENTITY, AND THIS SITUATION CAN BE CONSIDERED THE BASIS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF THE MODERN MALAYSIAN NATION

• COLONIZATION•MODERNIZATION

• WESTERNIZATION

IMIGRATION• BRITISH CONTROL OF THE

ECONOMIC AND SOCIO-POLITICAL LANDSCAPE GAINED STRENGTH IN THE 19TH CENTURY THROUGH THEIR POLICY OF BRINGING IN CHINESE AND INDIAN LABOURERS TO WORK IN THE FIELDS AND THE TIN MINES.

IMIGRATION• THE MALAYS SAW THE ARRIVAL OF THESE

FOREIGNERS AS A VIOLATION OF THEIR RIGHTS THAT COULD LEAD TO CULTURAL CONFLICT. MALAY DISSATISFACTION WAS REFLECTED IN NEWSPAPERS SUCH AS WARTA MALAYA THAT FREQUENTLY CRITICIZED THE IMMIGRANTS AND URGED THE MALAYS TO UNITE AND USE THEIR POWER TO UPHOLD THEIR RIGHTS.

COLONIZATION: IMMIGRATION

• THE BRITISH ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM AND POLICIES CAUSED AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CRISIS AMONG THE MALAYS. ENGLISH COLONIAL POLICIES WERE SEEN AS A THREAT TO THE MALAYS’ FUTURE, BOTH CULTURALLY AND POLITICALLY.

Abd Manan, “Barat Tinggal di Barat, Timur Tinggal di Timur”, Warta Jenaka, 7 September

1936.

Abdullah Abas, “Moden Barat, Moden Timur”, Warta Jenaka, 23 November 1936.

S.B. Ally, Warta Jenaka, 6 Januari 1938.

S.B. Ally, Warta Jenaka, 10 Februari 1938.

IMMIGRATION• THE ARRIVAL OF ARTISTS FROM

CHINA IN THE 1930s PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN MALAYSIAN ART: THE FORMATION OF THE NANYANG ACADEMY OF FINE ART IN SINGAPORE IN 1938

NANYANG ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS

• CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO THE LOCAL PAINTING STYLE BY COMBINING EASTERN AND WESTERN CHARACTERISTICS


EDUCATION• THE BRITISH EDUCATION SYSTEM

ALSO PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE WESTERNIZATION PROCESS.

• INTRODUCTION OF ENGLISH HISTORY, LAW AND CULTURAL VALUES IN ORDER TO FOSTER OBEDIENCE TO THE RULING ADMINISTRATION.

EDUCATION• ENCOURAGED STUDENTS TO HANDLE

KNOWLEDGE FROM A MORE PRAGMATIC, ANALYTICAL AND INDIVIDUALISTIC PERSPECTIVE, WHICH WAS AT ODDS WITH THE TRADITIONAL VIEWPOINT OF SOCIETY.

EDUCATION• CONSEQUENTLY, THE EMERGENCE

OF AN ARTISTIC APPROACH BASED ON INDIVIDUALISTIC EXPRESSION, ARTICULATED IN AN EXPRESSIVE AND NATURALISTIC MANNER WAS SEEN AS DERIVED FROM THAT EDUCATION SYSTEM.

EDUCATION• THIS PHENOMENON PAVED THE WAY

FOR THE BIRTH OF A MODERN AND WESTERN ARTISTIC APPROACH FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY, PARTICULARLY IN URBAN AREAS.


Yong Mun Sen, 1940. “Drying Nets”, watercolor, 56x38 cm.

Modern Malaysian ArtUnlike Western modern art that developed through a long and eminent tradition of sculptures, frescoes and oil paintings, modern Malaysian art arose from a quest to find new approaches to depict nature.

Modern Malaysian ArtSyed Ahmad Jamal writes that the lack of a great visual tradition caused Malaysian art to be free from any constraints. Freedom was the underlying factor that enabled artists to fully concentrate on their efforts to free themselves from old boundaries (1987: 49).

WESTERN EDUCATION1950s-1960s

• LOCAL ARTISTS WHO WENT ABROAD TO STUDY WERE EXPOSED TO THE

WORKS OF EUROPEAN ARTISTS AND BROUGHT THEIR INFLUENCE BACK BY

INCORPORATING IT INTO THEIR WORKS.

Syed Ahmad Jamal, 1961. “Tulisan”, oil, 33 x 74 cm

Abdul Latif Mohidin, 1964, “Kesepian”, oil, 61 x 90cm

EDUCATION: LOCAL ART GROUPS

• THE WEDNESDAY ART GROUP• ANGKATAN PELUKIS SEMENANJUNG

THE WEDNESDAY ART GROUP

Peter Harris, 1956. “Rumah Rakit –Kuala Lipis”, gouache, 38.2 x 48.2 cm

• ANGKATAN PELUKIS SEMENANJUNG

Mohd. Hoessein Enas, 1958, “Potret Diri”,pastel, 44 x 33.5 cm

NATIONAL CULTURAL POLICY

MALAYSIAN IDENTITY• NATIONAL CULTURAL CONGRESS

(1971)• NATIONAL CULTURAL POLICY

NATIONAL CULTURAL POLICY

• THE NATIONAL CULTURE OF MALAYSIA SHOULD BE BASED ON THE ORIGINAL CULTURE OF THE REGION

• ELEMENTS OF OTHER CULTURES THAT ARE SUITABLE CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE NATIONAL CULTURE

• ISLAM IS THE MAIN ELEMENT OF THE NATIONAL CULTURE

Mastura Abdul Rahman, 1990. “Tanpa Tajuk: Siri Dalaman”, arkrilik, 88 x 88 cm

Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, 1992. “Cabinet Series”, Mixed media, 183 x 183 cm

Sulaiman Esa, “Garden of Certainty II”, 1995.

OTHER FACTORS• REVIVAL OF ISLAM• POLITICS• ECONOMY• GLOBALIZATION

• Thank you.