The Development of Visual Art in Malaysia: Focus on Traditional Element

Abstract

Research writing on the elements of culture has been the focus of many scholars. However, writing that focused on cultural elements in the visual arts has received less attention. Intrinsic elements in artworks are very important for the public to understand what the artist wants to convey. Thus, in preserving the culture, this writing focuses on cultural elements in visual arts. Due to a number of issues, including the false perception of the concept of "Islam and Malay," despite the fact that it also has a universal connotation, the implementation of DKK 1971 is still perceived as having failed to bring together the various races and ethnicities in Malaysia. The objective of this writing is to identify cultural elements in visual arts through a review of past paper writing and the second objective is to determine research gaps to be proposed as new issues for the future research. The methodology of this writing is to use a qualitative method. The results of the review of past paper writing are used to identify the cultural elements in visual arts. This writing is focused on data collection through close reading, text content and making interpretations. The results of the findings show, most of the artworks have been focused on environmental themes, Malay design motifs such as batik, Malay textiles and the way of life by the Malay community. Only a few researches have focused on the use of oral literature in the visual arts. Therefore, the next study to focus is the use of oral literary elements in visual arts that should be highlighted in preserving Malay culture.