Balai Seni Negara's Treasures

after weeks of lecturing and exposing my students to various masterpieces of the Western paintings, sculptures and other notable artefacts, it's time for me to introduce them our nation's wealth and masterpieces which i deem noteworthy.


Q : how i evaluate a work of art to be noteworthy?
A : it must stand through the test of time, requires full attention and forget all the pretentious glorified curatorial writings. The image produced must show evidence of thoughts, thoughtful strokes and skills - in terms of composition, mastery of the colors and must be one that control the gallery space.

( to be honest, i cant appreciate digital paintings as it is missing the most vital elements - that is texture and the evident of the strokes. )

example - Michaelangelo's Pieta and Monet's Waterlilies.

What is brilliant is, i brought them to National Visual Arts Gallery, where they got a chance to meet up my old dean/sifu/friend/mentor/adopted guardian angel/humanist - Najib Dawa a.k.a Tok Misai or i normally call him Bapak Gangster and have conversations with selected masterpieces displayed.

Anyway here are photos.....courtesy from the students as im recognized for not taking any photos. The curators involved with this set up, digging past works from their massive collective and did an awesome job.

Anthony Lau's sculpture for me have the most simplistic yet solid elegant lines

reading Piyadasa's handwritten note to Tay Hooi Keat - his Plantscape is brilliant.

Syed Ahmad Jamal cool calculated brushstrokes and colors always complement the wilder Latiff Mohidin

the naughty late Piyadasa until today never fail to educate me

Ibrahim Hussein's graphic composition never fail to please my inner OCD characteristics. 

Ismail Zain's fleeting out from the plastic world

Manja by Ibrahim Hussein = Schrodinger's cat

 Manja says hello

with Ibrahim Hussein's mural work, only painting that eludes me is Tribute to Bapak

gazing Latiff's Pago-Pago

playing with Piyadasa's empty canvas

flying to a higher plane
Rimba, another Anthony Lau's brilliant compostion.

Syed Ahmad Jamal's Perhubungan ( Relationship )
Ibrahim Hussein, disciplined - graphical brush strokes - white on white

Ismail Zain's expressive brushstrokes of his Women crossing the River after Rembrant never fail me.I always dig painters who fights and tests the canvas and space.

Yeoh Jin Leng's wide shot


Endnote - most artists featured in this note had passed away, their works remained and never fail to put refreshing reminder to my tired eyes. Thank you for all this brilliant works. You guys memang OSEM.There are many notable absentees here especially Amron Omar's peaceful, lepak, santai, unashamed reflective self potrait Catan Diri. 

Click to read more of my related curatorial work in Balai Seni Negara

https://theobservatoryanderson78.blogspot.com/2020/12/a-place-called-home-foreword.html 

https://theobservatoryanderson78.blogspot.com/2020/12/a-place-called-home-from-oral-to.html 

https://theobservatoryanderson78.blogspot.com/2020/12/a-place-called-home-abc.html 

https://theobservatoryanderson78.blogspot.com/2018/08/create.html 

https://theobservatoryanderson78.blogspot.com/2018/08/reflection-place-called-home.html 

https://theobservatoryanderson78.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-curatorial-note-place-called-home.html 




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