Leadership of Malay Painters as a Backdrop to the Landscape of Modern Malaysian Painting (Abdullah Ariff, Hossein Enas & Syed Ahmad Jamal)

Abstract

Modern painting was a new ideology that was brought in from Western countries in the 20th century. The art form, which was pioneered by renowned artist Paul Cezanne, can be identified through its own unique style, characterised by bold brush strokes and strong colours that represent self-expression. The influence of the modern painting movement was first introduced to the Malay Peninsula in the early 1900s by the British, who had colonised Penang at the time. This influence resulted in the emergence of three prominent local painters, who became local leaders of the modernism ideology, namely, Abdullah Ariff, Hoessein Enas and Syed Ahmad Jamal. Their indomitable spirit and efforts to develop the local painting scene succeeded and this is evident in their establishment as painters that are regarded as being of high calibre both nationally and internationally. They must therefore be categorised as leaders and visual guides to encourage Malay youth to participate in the world of painting. Therefore, an analytical observation must be carried out to show that these three prominent painters possess characteristics of leadership, creativity, critical thinking and efficiency, as well as advantages in various aspects whether in art creation or administration. Among these aspects are a dominant personality, painting through touches of colour on a canvas that can influence the viewer, the ability to move their peers and students to take part in the arts and to effectively convey a theme through painting. In order to consider these matters, the writer used the qualitative observation method, with a cultural approach, specifically by collecting written data and visuals from the National Visual Art Gallery. The existence of this research paper provides us with a picture of a sincere and persistent struggle, which succeeded in guiding local youth to join the effort in further elevating the nation's visual art field.