Abusos del formalismo: la derivación de las funciones lineales

The aim of this study was to explore the characters of Amron’s painting to understand the social-cultural and the lifestyle of artist affection and the relationship between form and concept. To be specific, the researcher has delivered a personal interpretation, which was respond to identify the social-cultural, and the lifestyle of artist element and linked the relationship of these characters with the concept of his works. Moreover, the researcher had used the communal interpretation through the questionnaire as data triangulation to refine the result of personal and avoid the personal bias.

First and fundamental effect; Amron Omar was born and grow up in religious and traditional family in a small village where Silat has played the important role as far as it became the life manner for the people. That means the Silat was not only the way of self-defense or combat. It was an inner training too, which guide them to have discipline, concentration, courage, precision, faith, self-believe, never give up, defense of their desire, learn from their mistake, fight for a good and etc. father of the artist as master of the Silat brought up his children based on these concepts. Due to this explanation, Amron

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in his interview said, “I always try to follow the manner of Silat in each step of the life and my artwork”. Moreover, he was observing the Silat warrior or student and how he is father teach them and how they improve their self.

Second affection; alongside carrying the background and lifestyle of the community, which he came from, he entered into the major community. The time, he had started to receive academic knowledge in ITM and then UiTM. Perhaps he had many difficulties during this time. He was 22 years old, full of ambition as young generation artist. His desire was to be a full-time artist who was known and accepted by own and his society.

Therefore, in the first step, the artist changed his skills and styles dramatically and abandoned all the styles of drawing that he used to do in the past. He returned to the fundamental level and seriously trained, as he wanted to fulfill his dream. However, he had doubts as he did not feel secure and claim to his painting, he felt some part of his work had been missing.

The third impact, from 1971, the rule in the country had changed, the government set up the new task for Malay artist who was fostering and promoting the Islamic-Malay art and ITM was the center of phenomena. So Amron surrounded by many colleagues and fellows who were searching for their own concept and identity so some of them returned to their former customs and cultures to bring back and hold the picture of Malay style in artworks or other who wanted to just graduate and become a lecturer.

Finally, during the final year of his study in 1979, he was challenged by real life. The struggling with real life has reminded him the manner of Silat warrior. Moreover, He was growing up and observe many battles between Silat warriors for at last 20 years, which was the inseparable part of his life. He remembered the instruction of Silat to struggle with life for his desire. All this matter guided him to discover the missing part, which was the character of artworks. Then he recalled what he had learned from his past and brought up the Pertarungan as the main character and combines with his fundamental

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skill and the configuration of paintings. As a result, he has painted Pertarungan III, the struggle for his desire. The expression of the artist about this painting was this painting is all of his life. This is how the artist has started his struggle in his life and chose Pertarungan as the main character of his artworks until now.

In the next step, the new door was opened for Amron, he passed the difficult exam of his life with glory. He could prove his artistic talent and received the compliment from fellow artists and government. However, from 1970-1980, there were to task for Malay artist first during this time, Malay artist as well as Amron have been attempting own concept and finding their identity, which the artist had done it, honorable. A second task was finding the Malay identity and culture in the context of artworks, which was becoming, for Amron Omar as full-time artist new task. During that time, he was confidently aware of his skill and talent and attempting to illustrate the Malay-Islamic identity of his artworks.

As it could be seen in his second and remarkable painting Catan Diri (self-portrait) meanwhile the character (artist portrait) wear a Sarong which is a symbol of his culture and religion (many Muslim prayer habits to wear Sarong during the praying at the mosque). At the end, the artist has been successful to introduce himself as a Malay Muslim artist. However, this character was not the Pertarungan or Silat fighter, but Amron had done the second task with proudness. Therefore, he has had two options, first chose the only Malay Islamic theme as the main character or Pertarungan theme and Silat warrior as the main character. Since 1982-1994, the artist had been painting so many artworks with the theme of Pertarungan and while one of the characters have been wearing the traditional clothes. From 1990, artists had tended to shift from the Malay/Islamic-centered to the postmodern style.

In this regard, often the Malay artist’s artworks have criticized in comparison the artworks of post-modern artists or those who were proceeding toward modernization as

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overall mostly artworks had been moving toward the western arts. Due to this, Amron as a loyal Malay Muslim artist has been attempting to align with this flow while retaining a Malay- Islamic theme (Pertarungan) of his artworks. He mentioned that he has changed his still from Silat (with soft movement) to Kuntaw (more strike and aggressive movement) in 1994. As a result, he has finished another masterpiece titled Pertarungan in 1996. He has created a great combination of contrasts and, this work was responding to all criticize of that time. Amron combined the traditional style with modern style and create the arch shape with the pose of both fighters. This arch shape, which the artist purposely has made it, was the hidden symbol of the Islamic character of his work. For instance, he has drawn the Kuntaw fighter with normal pants as modern character opposed a traditional style and soft fighter (Silat warrior) with Sarong.

As a result, this compound of contrast, such as soft and strict movement, old and modern style, aggressive and defensive pose, equally light and shadow and ...etc. have illustrated any conflict could make great balance and harmony if there is faith in God (arch horseshoe shape as a symbol of Islamic architecture). It seems Amron has imitated the harmony and balance of creation of the world by God. It could be seen, from the perception of the artist, the art modernization did not require to put aside and banned the Malay Islamic style or traditional theme as he found a way to combine them. After that, he has got confident to walk away from the critics’ vision and try to explore the beauty of his artworks. As it mentioned before, Malaysian art experienced various kinds of artistic forms, visions, subject, and media, which was never experienced before since 1990’s. Therefore, Amron also has been exploring the new and possible visions for each character.

Due to this exploration, the artist has done so many sketches. It could be seen, in the following year, he has illustrated a different momentary position of one fighter’s life, which can be done in fractional time. He has focused on the fighters’ gesture to find the

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beauty in the character’s pose. As a result, this time, Amron has had an aesthetic and critical perspective on his artworks. He has invited himself for a new challenge, which is finding the beauty of his works since 1996 until now. In addition, Amron expresses that

“that is my challenge, I want to paint fighters like photo” which means the artist has been practicing to better paint and be the greatest artist (hyper-realistic painter).