Not just pretty pictures

Not just pretty pictures
INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL


The National Artist at work
Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal gets introspective as he approaches his 80th year. He tells INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL there are objectives to achieve and a sense of purpose in art

THE shutters close and for that moment, Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal, the only visual artist to have been awarded the accolade of Seniman Negara, or National Artist, is lost in his own memories – again. Under clear rimless glasses, his kindly eyes are shut tight as he recalls a career that has spanned more than 50 years. A principal force in education and the local art scene from the time of Independence, he was the most senior of a group of core artists who studied in the west and came home as champions of Abstract Expressionism in the 1960s. They were responsible for ushering in a new and dominant force in Malaysian art.

In conjunction with his 80th birthday, the National Art Gallery is hosting a retrospective exhibition called Syed Ahmad Jamal: Pelukis, that features never-seen-before and iconic works from various genres and disciplines.

“My birthday is actually on the 19th (of September),” he corrects, a glimmer of a smile appearing on his otherwise earnest face. “The gallery is putting up all my work — from the sketches of my childhood right up to the latest one, which was finished only last week called 99.” Even the sketch he did of his then classmate, Professor Syed Naquib Al-Attas, author and founder director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) is there, “…dressed as a pirate!”. Smiling, he says: “He liked to put on costumes when we were in school. Did you know some of the more serious people that we know today were very playful in school?” Suddenly distracted by the bustle of workmen outside his office who are lugging large, fragile pieces of art work, a concerned look crosses his face. “They’re moving all my paintings in today for the exhibition,” he says, craning his neck to get a better look. Eventually reassured that nothing untoward is happening, he settles back into his chair before telling me that on show will also be paintings from his student days in England and of the various milestones in both the country’s and the world’s history, that he’d captured so emphatically on canvas. “My response to events that happen in life is captured in my paintings. This is how I record them.” Syed Ahmad, whose late father was educated at an agricultural college but went on to become an editor with a Malay newspaper (“… he was more interested in literature and poetry than anything else”) has played a pioneering role in the development of art and art infrastructure in this country through his roles as an artist, curator, art educator, and through the various important administrative positions he has held. He has lectured in Malaysia and abroad and was at one time director of the National Art Gallery from the early 80s to the early 90s. Suffice to say, Syed Ahmad, whose favoured medium is acrylic on canvas (“…because of the intensity”), has also been the recipient of many prestigious awards over the years, including the Asean Cultural Award – Visual Art (1984), National Artist Award (1995) and the Panglima Jasa Negara (1996), to name a few.

What drives him? He closes his eyes again, taking his time to answer my question.

“With art, you always have something to look forward to,” he concedes, the shutters still down. “It’s always, ‘what’s next?’. You look ahead. Art is also not repetitive because you always have different content, depths and approach, depending on what you’re working on.” He continues: “There’s a sense of purpose when you do art. It’s not just about painting a pretty landscape — there are objectives to achieve and meanings behind the forms”. For Syed Ahmad, the eldest of seven children, it all started with “scratching” pictures on the wooden walls of his childhood home in Johor. “My father saw that I was fond of drawing so he gave me some pastels and crayons. Then he bought me some water colours, White Horse, I remember, made in China.” When he started, there was no proper art education. He simply taught himself. “Sometimes I’d go and see other people’s work and then come back and try to copy. During the Japanese Occupation, I found this war book on art in someone’s house. I saw the pictures by famous artists like John Constable and Turner and was immediately inspired. I knew then that I really wanted to be an artist.” The young Syed Ahmad did well at school and received a scholarship to do architecture. “But after one year, the principal concluded that I’d make a better artist than architect, so he persuaded the scholarship people in Johor to allow me to do art proper,” he recalls.

At the age of 20, his dream was realised when he was given a place at the prestigious Chelsea School of Art. “I was ecstatic. Chelsea was the home of Turner, the artist whose work I saw in the war book and which ignited my passion for art.” With a wry smile, Syed Ahmad, whose other passion is writing and gardening, confides: “I was the hardest working student there. Even the guards had to chase me out in the evenings because I was always on campus despite the fact that everyone else had gone home!” London opened his eyes to the world of art and culture like never before. There were museums to visit and galleries to revel in. Picasso, Matisse, and all the top artists left him breathless.

“I was in London for six years and I enjoyed every day of it,” says Syed Ahmad, eyes closed in recollection. “Every weekend I’d go to galleries and museums. I also liked to sit on the bus, on the top deck, and watch the crowd. In the summer, I’d sit in the park and just look at the birds. Even Selfridges fascinated me. I enjoyed studying its window display! “I loved to go to the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall for the music. As a student, I enjoyed the special student rates. I absorbed a lot of things.” Later, he went on to do art education at the University of London before moving to the University of Hawaii for his Masters.

As we near the end of our chat, I ask him about his thoughts on the country’s art scene today.

He mulls the question over before eventually conceding: “It’s challenging. Before, there were only established artists like myself, Latif Mohidin, Ibrahim Hussein and Cheong Lai Tong. Now, there are the younger artists to contend with. They’re different. They’re the so-called contemporary artists as opposed to us, the modern or postmodern artists, and they do figurative, or anti-beautiful art, or whatever. “With the arts receiving so much patronage and support now, they’re at a good place. They can sell and demand good prices. During our time, it wasn’t so easy to sell. Of course, it’s a challenge for the older artists but it’s alright. Everyone has his or her own niche. Challenges are always healthy.” The exhibition, Syed Ahmad Jamal: Pelukis will run from Sept 29 to Oct 31 at the National Art Galeri (Balai Seni Lukis Negara), 2 Jln Temerloh, off Jln Tun Razak, KL) intanm@nstp.com.my