Walking into “A colourful
journey to a promise” on Christmas Day, it brought joy and awe to my soul. Not
only was I in the midst of a lively art exhibition that beckoned to me with
every sight, these congenial and flamboyant pieces of artwork were no other
than that of the female Andy Warhol of Malaysia, Norma Abbas.
When modern art comes to
mind, most people think about figures formed with geometric shapes and random
circles and squares and lines scattered around a canvas. And they normally have
extremely queer titles that almost do not conform to the artwork and are
therefore very tedious to portray the true meaning of, examples being Pablo
Picasso. Renaissance art, on the other hand, have titles that conform to the
artwork and intricate brush strokes that form an easily-conveyable canvas,
examples being Leonardo da Vinci. But as for Norma Abbas, she has combined two
artistic worlds together to form an abstract, yet somewhat easy to portray,
piece of art. All in all, you can see why she is regarded the “female Andy
Warhol of Malaysia”. Here are some of my favourite pieces of artwork in the
exhibition.
Amrik
Amrik was penned by Norma
Abbas when she was only a kid, assuming by the date when it was first made.{circa
1975, according to the labelling} It was a miniscule piece of paper that was
folded countless times before a cute little drawing was put on. The materials
also added more evidence into the fact that Norma Abbas only penned it as a wee
child, as only pencil and gouache paint was used.
Woman
And Friends
Woman And Friends really
sheds light on Norma Abbas’s crafts having a high level of reminiscence to Andy
Warhol. The figures looked distorted, and there were several whorls and circles
around, along with something looking like a tall sunflower sticking out of the
top. It was only penned last year{circa 2016}. At first glimpse it looks
extremely arduous to convey, but peel your eyes even more and you will be able
to decipher the artwork’s true meaning.
On The
Way To The Loo
This painting has a
rather scrubby title, and Norma Abbas expressed it in a rather idiosyncratic
manner by making the painting look scrubby.{for the sake of art} It was penned
at the start of the 21st century, and is a monochromatic piece of
art. According to the labelling, Norma Abbas, being an abstract artist, makes
use of etchings in her canvases. For the uninitiated, etchings are made from
engraving onto metal plates.
Iva And
Two Birds
Another abstract artist
Norma Abbas probably has taken inspiration from is Jackson Pollock, and this is
evident in Iva and Two Birds. In the artwork, Norma Abbas used untidy splotches
of paint to total an exquisitely-abstract piece of art.{again, for the sake of
art} Jackson Pollock used the same method, but Norma Abbas only used the
basics- she didn’t go over the top like Jackson Pollock, who sometimes made
whorls in his canvases by riding a bicycle over them while the paint was still
moist.
The
Proposal
The Proposal, unlike most
of Norma Abbas’s other artworks, is not fully abstract, and is instead
delicately-painted and easy to convey. It is a romantic painting of a man
trying to propose a date to a lover, which is a simple and to-the-point subject
that most abstract painters would not commonly paint. It is still slightly
cluttered compared to non-abstract artists, but it is still simple to portray
and is a very well-executed piece of art.
Breathing
In Early Morning Energy
The painting “Breathing In Early Morning
Energy” is a canvas with a very relaxed aura that is expressed in the title.
The lady, hidden in the swipes of paint everywhere, is in a very meditative
mood, as observed from the face. It brings a certain meaning, as ‘early morning
energy’ is usually rather calm and revitalising. The finer details are
cluttered yet very much visible, which includes the long eyelashes and the fine
strands of hair.
Grandpa,
I Want To Tell You A Story
Out of all the paintings
in the exhibition, this one hits one of my Top Threes. It has a wispy, romantic
atmosphere, and the little figments in the background are reminiscent of a
Malay kampong{village}. The
protagonists in the painting are a young lady, who could be a daughter, and the
datuk{grandfather}. The daughter and
grandfather are shown embracing, smiles etched on their faces, in a very
heart-warming and loving mood.
For my sum-up, Norma
Abbas is a talented painter. Her paintings straddle various genres, including
bouncy and happy, soothing and calming, and romantic and loving. And she also
knows how to move with the modern art times and understand the artistic
realities of the present day, yet can make a easily-conveyable painting that is
blending two basic art styles- abstract and Renaissance. Since the exhibition
is still going on until April of 2017, I hope you will drop by at the Bank
Negara Museum to peel your eyes at these catchy canvases.
The End.
