On 16 September 1963, the Federation of Malaya,Singapore and the Borneo Territories (Sarawak and North Borneo, now known as Sabah), got together to form the Confederation of Malaysia. Singapore withdrew on 9 August 1965 to become an independent sovereign nation. Before Malaya obtained its independence from the British on 31 August 1957, it had a close interaction with Singapore resulting in mutual exchange of customs,lifestyles as well as arts and culture. It is therefore obvious that any discussion of art in Malaya before 1965 should include Singapore as well.

 

There is very little knowledge of the painting tradition in the Malay Archipelago prior to the British colonization.There is likely to be a background of painting in this area as evidenced by surviving art traditions in Thailand and Indonesia, particularly Balinese painting. It would appear therefore that painting skills were lost somewhere along the line.

 

While Malaysia does not have the same background of traditional or religious art such as is evident in the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, or Borobudor in Java, there are some traditional art forms which influence contemporary Malaysian art (Wharton, 1971). Examples which readily come to mind are the design of the wood carvings on the prows of Malay fishing boats along the East coast, and the shadow play or ‘wayang kulit’ theatre which provide inspiration for some contemporary artists (such as Nik Zainal Abidin).

 

 

With the arrival of European travellers and colonials in the 18th century, together with Chinese traders to the area, painting reappeared. There is some suggestion that the English and other European travellers in the area commissioned Straits Settlements’ artists, (both of Chinese and Malay origin) to paint local life, flora and fauna, either for pleasure or for historical record. Many of these commissions were given by officers of the East India Company stationed in Malaya.

 

The British introduced to Malayans the genres of landscape painting in the tradition of Turner and Constable and Realism rooted in the Pre-Raphaelites. This continued until the 19th Century when the impact of European Art,particularly French, began to have its effect on the whole region with movements such as Impressionism, Postimpressionism,Cubism,Surrealism, Fauvism and Constructivism.

 

After the Second World War, the centre of art shifted from Paris to New York. The Americans started movements like Action Painting, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art,Op Art, Performance Art,Minimalism, Conceptual Art and so on. Needless to say,our local artists who went overseas came under diverse influences.

 

The Chinese contribution to the art scene in Malaysia and Singapore came from Chinese immigrants and visitors like the renowned Xu Beihong who stayed in Penang for several years,and visited Singapore as well, and others who had studied Chinese brush painting and calligraphy in China, including Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian,and Luo Ming.

 

 

The earliest migrants from China had no great desire apart from seeking a decent living. The luxury of fine arts could not have been further from their mind. It was only after they had established themselves and became successful in life that some migrants began to indulge their artistic creativity for a more  fulfilling life. Some engaged in art education while others were highly motivated amateurs.Those who had gained notable achievements included Lee Kah Yeow, Huang Yao, Rev Chuk Mor, Rev Pak Yuen,Chai Horng Chung, Chung Hong Kong and Zhen Wei Sin (Contemporary Malaysian - Chinese Painting 1987).

 

From what may be culled from existing information, It appears that it was only at the beginning of the 1920’s that an occasional painter would come out and exhibit his works. The earliest recorded art exhibition was in Singapore by Lian Xiao Oh in 1924, followed by He Oui Qo who exhibited his pastels in 1926 (Ma-Ke, 1963).

 

With reference to Penang, early art activities probably began with the founding of Penang in 1786 by Sir Francis Light under the East India Company. Penang was then known as Prince of Wales Island British artists residing in Penang were fond of painting the maritime views and Penang landscapes. However, it was likely that local Penang artists were also catering to the patrons of the European Trading Company (Tan, 1998).

 

In 1994, the late Redza Piyadasa in his article in ‘Vision and Idea’ (page 25, edited by Sabapathy, 1994) made a big deal of discovering the first art group in Malaya. He wrote erroneously of “new evidence that has recently come to light confirms that the first art group to have been formed was the United Artists of Malaya, which was registered by the Registrar of Societies of Selangor in 1929”. Actually, this is old news, and I have a copy of their catalogue. The official name of the society was United Artists, Malaysia (sic), and the Mandarin name was Nanyang Shuhuashe (or Nanyang Society of Calligraphy and Painting). Little was heard about this society since, so it cannot be an important society, probably a ‘flash in the

pan’. What a pity that this supposedly famous art historian did not even know that an earlier art group existed, and thus almost distorted Malaysian art history!

 

Actually, in 1990, I have already mentioned that, “The modern art tradition may be traced back to around 1920,when The Penang Impressionists was formed. The artist group comprised of expatriate Europeans and two local talents. Given the colonialistic attitude prevailing at that time, local Penang artists were not welcomed. Abdullah Ariff (1904-1960) was admitted into the group because his services as an art instructor were needed...” (Tan, 1990). In fact, much earlier, Tay Hooi Keat (1986) wrote, “The only bona fide body to organise art exhibitions then (1920 - 1936)was the Penang Impressionists - a registered artists group comprising mostly Europeans and one or two local talents such as Mrs Lim Cheng Kung and the late Abdullah Ariff.” Mrs Lim’s husband was a millionaire and she was probably invited to join as she contributed to the financial well-being of the Penang Impressionists. She was the sister-in-law of Mr Lim Cheng Ean, a past-president of the Penang Chinese Art Club (Tan, 1990).

 

However, it appears that the art history of Malaysia has to be re-written again. Not long ago, Zakaria Ali (2004) in ‘Abdullah Ariff - Father of Modern Art in Malaysia’ (page 25), stated that Abdullah Ariff was “invited to join the Penang Impressionists Society, the all-white artsy club first registered in 1898.” However, he added that “Very little is known of this society as no records of its activities have been uncovered.” This is no longer true as there are new evidence of documents. The credit goes to Mr Koh Seow

Chuan, an avid philatelist and art collector who is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the new National Art Gallery of Singapore. He is a keen collector of art by pioneer (or early) artists of Singapore and Penang (which together with Malacca, formed the Straits Settlements during the British occupation). He has a collection of 11 postcards with stamps postmarked as early as 1901, which proved the earlier existence of the society. It is interesting to note that one of the other postcards postmarked 7 February 1905 stated, “The secretary of the Singapore Art Club has asked for contributions for their exhibitions in March”. This means that the Singapore Art Club was likely to be the first art club to exist in Singapore and was exhibiting together with the Penang Impressionists.

 

Wilfred Plumbe, author of ‘The Golden Pagoda Tree’ (1990),recalled that in 1956, he spoke to Charles Jackson, one of the members of Penang Impressionists. Jackson said, “Up to 1930, not one Asian painted a picture or exhibited... At a monthly meeting, I suggested a Malay schoolmaster by the name of Abdullah Ariff for membership. The majority raised their eyebrows as high as Penang Hill! I showed them two watercolours and they would not believe it. However, that year, 1931, Ariff and two Chinese exhibited their pictures for the time in a European art club.”Abdullah Ariff was a self-taught artist who taught art at the Anglo-Chinese School (later Methodist High School),and had two solo exhibitions (at Ownbey ellowship Hall,and Mint Museum of Art) in Charlotte, New York in 1954. In 1959, his paintings were displayed at the Malayan Embassy,Washington, USA. He was elected to fellowship of the Royal Society of Art (FRSA), England in 1955. His paintings in 1955 or later years, will have his name followed by FRSA on his labels behind his paintings.

 

There was a lot of interaction between the artists of Penang and Singapore in the early days. Most of the pioneer artists of Singapore had exhibited in Penang. In fact, both Georgette Chen and Chen Chong Swee had taught in schools in Penang before. It is interesting that Chen Chong Swee’s sons are named Wee Lee (for Province Wellesley) and Chi Sing (for Jit Sin High School where he taught). Georgette Chen taught at the Penang Chinese Girls High School from 1949 to 1953 before joining Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore.

 

The year 1920 marked a significant milestone in the art history of Penang. It was the year that Yong Mun Sen came to Penang from Singapore and later set up his art studio.The honour of being the first artist to have an art exhibition in Malaysia was Ooi Hwa who exhibited in Penang in 1927.Ooi Hwa and Lee Cheng Yong were perhaps the first Penang artists to go overseas to study art at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Art.

 

Ooi Hwa painted impressionistic watercolours with strong light and shadow effects. Lee Cheng Yong’s works were mostly oil painted after the post-impressionist tradition of Gauguin and Van Gogh. He also painted abstracts and surrealistic works. On Cheng Yong’s return in 1932, he held a one-man show at the Philomatic Union, Acheen Street. The exhibition was of great interest to many local artists who had also been painting on their own, and did not realise each other’s existence till then.

 

In 1935, the Chinese artist got together to form Yin Yin Art Society, also known as the Penang Chinese Art Club. The founding members were - Lee Cheng Yong (President),Yong Mun Sen (Vice-President), Quah Kuan Sin (Secretary),Tay Hooi Keat (Treasurer) and Kuo Ju Ping, Tan Seng Aun,Tan Gek Khean (Mrs Tay Hooi Keat), Zhong Baimu and Wan Fee. They held their first art and photography exhibition soon after, with the majority of the paintings in the school of Western realism and post-impressionism and a few scrolls of traditional Chinese brush paintings. Artists all over Malaya and Singapore were invited to participate and contributed much to the success of the exhibition.

 

In 1937, the Penang Impressionists, who had been holding regular annual art shows invited members of the

Penang Chinese Art Club to participate. This was very encouraging to the local artists who responded positively.Unfortunately, this was to be the last exhibition of the Penang Impressionists as the group disbanded before the advent of the Second World War, never to be reformed.Most of their active members went back to Europe or were transferred.

 

The Penang Chinese Art Club carried on with two or three more annual art exhibitions, under the Presidency of Lim Cheng Ean (the father of prominent art-collectors, Ms PG Lim and Lim Kean Siew), and later Ong Keng Seng.As the war approached the art body had to suspend its activities, as a result of security restrictions being imposed on the coastal and rural areas. Finally, the group dissolved itself just before the out-break of hostilities in Malaya, with the Japanese invasion in December, 1941.

 

The subsequent occupation of the Japanese forces discouraged all cultural activities. Indeed the Kempeitai

(Japanese Military Police) kept a close watch on Chinese cultural groups and their leaders. The Penang Chinese Art Clubs records and all photographic evidence of the group outings were burnt as a precaution.

 

In Singapore, there was not much art activity, until 1935,when Mun Sen and a group of artists in Singapore, mostly alumni of the three art schools in Shanghai, namely the Shanghai Art University, Shanghai School of Fine Arts and Shanghai School of Art, formed the Salon Art Studies Society, which was later renamed the Society of Chinese Artists. Mun Sen was elected vice-president of this society which concentrated on giving wide exposure to local artists as well as organising exhibition of works by foreign artists, especially China and Hong Kong. Its annual show was to become an established tradition which carried on without a break, except for the war years (1942 -1945).

 

In 1936, Yong Mun Sen as president of the Penang Chinese Art Club and vice-president of Singapore Society of Chinese Artists, called for the setting up of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in Singapore. His

proposal was well received by the Singapore Society of Chinese Artists who invited him to join the reparatory committee in 1937 (Tan, 1998). NAFA was established in 1938 with Lim Hak Tai as the principal. It was the first art school which provided art education for Malayan and Singaporean artists. Famous artists who had studied at NAFA included Kuo Ju Ping (first batch of graduates),Tan Choon Ghee (1930 - 2010) and Dato IbrahimHussein (1936- 2009).

 

Lim Hak Tai was a remarkable man of vision. An accomplished artist in his own right, he chose to devote

his life, not to being an artist, but to being a catalyst of art by founding the first and most enduring institute of art in Singapore. Among the distinguished artists on the teaching staff were Cheong Soo Pieng, Georgette Chen Li Ying, Chen Wen Hsi and Chen Chong Swee.These artists had arrived in Singapore after the Second World War. They had been trained at art academies at Shanghai Canton and Amoy and were exposed to the modernist influence of the ‘School of Paris’. They were amongst the most sophisticated artists working in British Malaya and Singapore at that time. Through the activities of the teachers and students, the Nanyang artists played a major role in contributing towards the growth of the modern art tradition in Malaysia and Singapore. They are especially well-known for their efforts in synthesizing Eastern and estern art traditions in their works, which came to be known as the ‘Nanyang’ style.

 

In 1952, Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi and Liu Kang made a visit to Bali and on their

return, organised an exhibition entitled ‘Four artists to Bali’ which resulted in the creation of figure types which are identifiable with the Nanyang artists (Sabapathy & Piyadesa, 1983). This exhibition stimulated a lot of other local artists (for example, Khaw Sia) to make pilgrimages to Bali in order to paint.

 

Liu Kang was not a teacher at the Nanyang Academy but he was highly respected as an artist and because

of his involvement with the Society of Chinese Artists and the Singapore Art Society. The Singapore Art Society was formed in 1949 by some expatriates, notably Dr Gibson-Hill (who was then in charge of Raffles Museum and Library),Richard Walker (Superintendent of Art for Singapore Schools), Francis Thomas (teacher at St. Andrews School),Suri Mohgani (local artist) and Liu Kang (who was then the President of the Society of Chinese Artists).

 

The Singapore Art Society organised exhibitions and art activities and was opened to any artist, regardless of race and creed not only in Singapore itself but also abroad. Mr Walker was a fine artist, schooled In impressionism, who groomed quite a number of outstanding artists, (Liu Kang,1990). Among them, the most famous was Lim Cheng Hoe,acknowledged as the local master of watercolour and theinspiration and mentor for the present crop of Singapore watercolourists.

 

Penang appeared to be the centre of attraction for artists in the immediate post-war period. Mohd Hoessein Enas came to Penang from Indonesia in 1948 and interacted with Mun Sen and Abdullah Ariff. The famous art patron, Frank Sullivan met Mohd Hoessein Enas in Penang in 1949 and urged him to go to Kuala Lumpur. He had several successful art exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur and went on to form the Angkatan Pelukis Semenanjung and became a nationally known figure.

 

In 1948, Tay Hooi Keat became the first Malaysian to go to Britain to study art at the Camberwell School of Art. In 1952,he returned to Penang and form the Penang Art Teachers’Council with him as chairman. Some of the early members included Lee Joo For, Tan Tin Kok, Lim Tong Juan, Tan Lye Hoe and Chee Wee Sun. Most of the members were teachers from the English-medium schools in Penang. The name of the group was changed to Penang Art Teachers’ Circle in 1965.

 

In 1953, the Penang Art Society was formed under the chairmanship of Loh Cheng Chuan. The Penang Arts Council was also formed the same year with Souter as President,Tay Hooi Keat as Secretary and A. Sabapathy as Honorary Treasurer and Auditor. Both organisations held regular art exhibitions for their members, as well as sponsoring one-man shows for local as well as visiting artists from other Malaysian states and foreign lands. After Loh retired, Dato’ Koh Pen Ting took over, followed by Dato’ Koh Vee Kian. The present

chairman is Chn’g Huck Theng.

 

In 1957, the Thursday Art Group was formed with ideals similar to the Wednesday Art Group of Kuala Lumpur (which was formed by Peter Harris). Members of the Thursday Art Group included Abdullah Ariff, Tay Hooi Keat, Kuo Ju Ping, Lee Joo For, Lim Tong Juan and William K K Lau.

 

In contrast with the art scene in Penang and Singapore, there was a lack of serious art activity in Kuala Lumpur in the early days. The Nanyang Calligraphy and Painting Society was formed in Kuala Lumpur in 1929 (Ma-Ke, 1963). However, it was not until 1952, when Peter Harris formed the Wednesday Art Group that art activities flourished. Peter Harris was the Art Superintendent in the Ministry of Education, and graduated

from an art school in United Kingdom. He introduced aesthetics and art techniques to young and enthusiastic

Malayans. Artists who benefitted from his encouragement included Patrick Ng, Cheong Lai Tong, Zakariah Noor, Ismail Mustam, Dzulkini Buyong, Ho Kai Peng, Liu Siat Mooi, Grace Selvanayagam, Phoon Poh Hoon, Jolly Koh, Syed Ahmad Jamal and others.

 

In 1954, the Selangor Art Society was started and founding members included Fung Yow Chork, Zakariah Noor, Yong Peng Seng, Chong Hooi Fah, Syed Zainal and Chong Sing Kwai. The group met once a week on Thursday at the Methodist Boys’ School for figure and portrait painting,drawing and sketching.

 

The Angkatan Pelukis Semenanjung (later known as Angkatan Pelukis SeMalaysia) was founded in 1956 by

Mohd Hoessein Enas in Kuala Lumpur. The APS served to rally the Malay artists together; they modelled themselves on Mohd Hoessein Enas, their mentor and master who was nationally known for his oil and pastel realistic portraitures.Among the more prominent artists in the society were Idris Salam, Mohd Sallehuddin, Sabtu Mohd Yusof, Mazli Mat Som, Ahmad Hassan, Yusof Abdullah and Zakariah Noor.

 

In 1957, Frank Sullivan was appointed the Press Secretary to Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of Malaya after Independence. This was to create a tremendous impact on the Malaysian art scene. It was largely due to his indefatigable effort in promoting local artists and their works of art that the National Art Gallery at 109, Jalan Ampang was declared open on 27 August 1958 by Tunku Abdul Rahman. The opening exhibition included works by Chen Wen Hsi Cheong Lai Tong, Chuah Thean Teng, Mohd Hoessein Enas, Nik Zainal Abidin, Peter Harris, Patrick Ng,Syed Ahmad Jamal, Tay Hooi Keat and Yong Mun Sen.

 

Among those who helped in the development of the National Art Gallery, (besides Frank Sullivan who was

secretary for 10 years from 1962 to 1972}, were Tan Sri Mubin Sheppard, Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie, Tan Sri Dato’Azman Hashim, Tan Sri Kamarul Ariffin, Tan Sri Zain Azraai Professor Ungku Aziz, Ms PG Lim and many others (Seni Lukis Malaysia, 55-87, 1987). The gallery gradually acquired its own permanent collection but two notable collections donated to the gallery deserve mention. They are Dato’ Loke Wan Tho’s photographs of birds and the collection of Mr Lee Kah Yeow, (dozen of Chinese ink and brush painters) valued at 2 million ringgit, of Chinese and calligraphic works going back to the Sung Dynasty.

 

The first one-man show by a Malaysian artist overseas, was that of Chuah Thean Teng in 1959 in London, presented by the Federation Arts Council. His exotic batik paintings,(which he had been producing since 1955, raised the status of batik from craftwork to fine art and brought Malaysian art to the attention of the international art scene. Following his success, other batik artists, notably Khalil Ibrahim, Tay

Mo Leong and Toya also found international fame.

 

The earlier artists honoured with Retrospective Exhibitions at the National Art Gallery are as follows: Peter Harris (1960), Chuah Thean Teng (1965), Mohd Hoessein Enas (1966), Cheong Soo Pieng (1967), Abdul Latiff Mohideen (1973), Syed Ahmad Jamal (1975), Tay Hooi Keat (1983),and Ibrahim Hussein ( 1986). In addition, there was a Yong Mun Sen Memorial Exhibition in 1972.

 

The conviction and vision of the first Prime Minister was one of the most significant events in the development of art in Malaysia. Local artists benefitted from positive organised support from then on. The National Art Gallery also played an important role in the dissemination of literature on contemporary Malaysian Art. Every exhibition was accompanied by catalogue which documented every aspect of the exhibition, serving pictorial and literary record.

 

Eventually, the gallery became increasingly crowded and 25 years later, on 21 May 1984, the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, officially opened the new National Art Gallery building at the former Hotel Majestic. Although the exhibition areas are better than in the previous building, the condition is still somewhat less than ideal. In 1991, renovations were carried out to provide a more ideal condition for viewers and the art objects.

 

In July 1992, the Minister for Culture, Arts and Tourism, Datuk Sabarruddin Chik announced that the National Art Galley will be housed in a new RM30 million building on a three hectare site near the Parliament House by the year 2000.This was completed in time and officially declared open by Dr Mahathir in December 2000. It was the intention to ensure that the National Art Galley will continue to be a symbol of artistic excellence for Malaysian Art and a centre of contemporary cultural visual manifestations. In 2000, Dato’Ibrahim Husseins Art Museum at Langkawi was also opened.

 

The flowering of Malaysian art reflects the healthy state of art in the country (Syed Ahmad Jamal,1987). The Art Gallery, Penang (which was opened in September 1989 and has branched into art-book publication), is proud to be able to contribute in a small way, by documenting the exciting history of art development in Malaysia.