Development of Contemporary Painting in Malaysia

Abstract

Changes in Malaysia’s cultural domain has been very significant after the National Cultural Congress in 1971. In recent years, the Malaysian art scene has become an ongoing and thriving art initiative that is constantly changing. There are some problems raised in this study which are related to the content in contemporary Malaysian painting. The main point needed to be pointed out is in the rationale, interpretation, characteristic, form and content, and the spiritual role of artworks. This study was conducted to investigate the content of Malaysia’s contemporary painting that was produced by our local artists from 1971 to 2000. The objectives for this study were carried out to examine the characteristics of Malaysia’s contemporary painting, in order to study the formation of content and to analyse the uniqueness through the content preferred artist. These objectives are intended to identify the element of the visual character that is represented through the identity of contemporary paintings in Malaysia. This research employed the tracing of each structure of the artwork and observation of NAG compilation books, journals, and the National Art Gallery. In addition, the relevant material that has been studied by previous researchers was included in this study. The theoretical methods by Edmund Feldman are needed in analysing the artwork. The finding of this research covered a wide spectrum of issues which are closely associated with the artist that covers the culture, philosophy, and social culture. The significance of this study is to create an awareness and deeper appreciation, and contribute knowledge to the audience in understanding the meaning and approaches that are employed in artistic works. This research can add value to the previous research. The local artists should improve in terms of producing artwork that is consistent with the education community, and the educational institution itself.