El Ser-ahí (Das Dasein)

The selected paintings have illustrated the Malay martial art due to the artist’s loyalty to Malay culture, his patriotism, and his lifestyle. The theme of his artworks is the fighting scene. In the first stage, since 1979 theme of his artworks was a Silat (self-defense) style which was not aggressive. He depicted many kinds of Silat style during these years. In the 1994s, he has changed the style of his theme. It could be seen the theme of his artworks still was the battle, but the style of this fight has changed from Silat style to Kuntaw style, which was more aggressive and strict in movement. In other words, the fighters in Amron’s artworks have changed from a defensive into an offensive style. The fighters’

characters on all his artworks are Malay men, half-naked and well-built bodies. In most of his artworks specially, these four selected artworks. The fighter has been wearing the Sarong or Samping which depicted the traditional clothes of Malay people. It could be said, while the artist tried to illustrate the Malay fighter. He also has emphasized that the fighters of this kind of martial arts are trained, loyal to his country and culture.

His artworks have been painted in an empty background and wooden carpet. It seems the Amron’s intent was a focus on fighters rather any distraction for viewers by busy backgrounds. Moreover, it could be seen every four selected artworks has drawn in a great and different composition such as third rules, spiral, triangle or arch form, which meant to guide the viewers’ eyes to a focal point of his artworks. Although the artist has used the light and shadows to emphasize the balance, rhythm, and harmony and induced spectators to engage with the fighter’s sense and feel the struggle on his artworks. In these four artworks, the artist has created the contrast of light and shadow on the fighter’s bodies and used the warm colors to inculcate the motion and energy sense which caused

University

of Malaya

44

by the struggle. Meanwhile, dull colors have created the balance and prevented from an exaggeration of the fight sense.

These paintings have depicted the artist’s life journey which guided him to walk from first step until now. It seems the Martial art. He has raised in a small village by man (father) who was a master of Silat and founder of Kuntaw style, and until he joined to ITM, he was surrounded by many students and master of martial art. During that time, the young generation were obsessed with this kind of martial art so it was ingrained in his soul too. It could be said he has grown up with Silat fighters, which have affected his life and artistic vision. He has gained the wise view of the Silat fighter, how they act and react, how they fight.

By the looking at these artworks, it could be seen, every object in his artworks have implied the part of his childhood. For instance, the wooden carpet in his artworks has illustrated a floor’s cover of the place which his father or other Silat fighter did practice or performed. As another example, the traditional clothes which have worn by the fighters or teacher Silat. Alternatively, the artist has drawn the rattan chair which he has it in his hometown when he wanted to draw self-portrait painting.

However, the impacts of society and culture on his artworks are undeniable. For intense, the new task for Malay artist was fostering and promoting the Malay art and ITM was the center of phenomena in 1971. On the other hand, the financial difficulty in 1979 which made him struggle with real life to achieve his desire. As a result, he has painted Pertarungan III, the struggle to gain his desire. The expression of artist about this painting was that “this painting is all of his life”. This is how the artist has started his struggle in his life and chose Pertarungan (battle) as theme of his artworks until now.

From the 1980 the new social-cultural impact has driven the artist to new steps, which was the Malay artist has been trying to find the Islamic-Malay identity in their works. At the end, Amron has done his new task by drawing the Catan Diri painting, and artist has

University

of Malaya

45

introduced successfully himself as a Malay Muslim artist. From 1990, artists slanted to move from the Malay/Islamic-focused to the postmodern style. In such as manner, regularly the Malay artist’s works of art have criticized in examination the artworks of post-modern artist or the individuals who were continuing toward modernization as general, for the most part, artworks had been moving toward the western expressions.

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 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 criticism of that time. Amron combined the traditional style with modern style and created 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 on his work. 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. During this time, the artist has done many sketches. It could be seen, in following year he has illustrated a different momentary position of one fighter’s movement, which can be done in fractional time. He has focused on the fighters’ gesture to find the beauty in the character’s pose.

As a result, this time; Amron has had an aesthetic and critical perspective on his artworks.

At the end, Amron has drawn himself as a warrior who has been struggling with own to be better of himself.

On the other hand, by looking through the communal interpretation of these artworks, it could be seen the both group (Malay and non-Malay) have diagnosed the character and they have engaged with the fighters feeling and action sense. Both group have implied the character, motion, color, energy or the intent of the artist. Although the enthusiasm

University

of Malaya

46

and patriotism sense were provoked within Malay group and they share out many story of Silat glory. In contrast, the ignorance of the style of these battle painting has guided the non-Malay students to create the connection between the artist and battle. These paintings have introduced the artist to them as fighter or who love this kind of fight, an artist who is struggling in his life, artist who came from village, simple man. However, by looking at communal interpretation, both groups have turned on a new light on the different aspects of these artworks while their interpretation also have refined the researcher interpretation. In what follows the personal and communal interpretation of each paintings are presented.

4.3 The Personal Interpretation of the Amron Omar’s First Painting