Sunday, November 13, 2005

Review of Dr Zakaria Ali painting

"The Red Sandals : Tower 15"
Dr. Zakaria Ali
Oil on canvas
60 cm x 50 cm
12 October 2004

Stepped on 1st floor of ASB-AMRO USM Gallery, something attracted me very much; I has attracted with a piece of painting, and go forward on it. A wooden frame with a familiar local subject-matter was well presentable, which was hung on the human eye's level (160mm height). Bright, yellowish and warm spotlight with its precise angle which was shot right on the painting, with proper quantity of explosion, “Tower 15 - The Red Sandal” was, warmth to feel and comfortable to see. After travel along from Sg. Dua to Georgetown by bus, walked to the gallery with duration of 10 minutes, need couple of rest for my tired foot. My unconscious mind reflected an impulse to my thigh muscle, curb muscle and foots as well, that “We take rest at here!”, definitely it only a description to portray how the painting attracted me at the 1st place. (It was really 1st place in my conscious mind because of the logical, suitable and strategically installation of the painting.) A single painting that without frame, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional space, lighting, 4-dimensional elements (feeling & emotion) and installation, is lacking of sense to attract human being at the 1st place, try to imagine that how bad it build-up mental and emotion thinking platform for viewer and influent the viewer on its concepts. Generally, the painting brings out not only 2-D visual effect but it enhances 3-D space with a well placing of lighting and location.

A warmth welcome
It was simulate the feeling and tiredness of stepping staircase. Both installation and painting themselves are well present and well-to-simulate the situation and environment of the painting. With the perspective chosen, automatically cause us to release our tiredness. It was a human eye view from Dr. Zakaria Ali, his self with his height and his eyes level that looking down to the entrance of the water tower. A warmth welcome from the environment of the installation, the painting itself, perhaps from Dr. Zakaria Ali where is an entrance and a main staircase (although is an emergency staircase) to reach the “Sarang” of Dr. Zakaria Ali. For the definition of “Sarang”, is a place or a habitat for him to create his fine work, to express his emotion, to get alone inside, to take couple of rest, to handle his students' affair in education, to create a most privacy place... ... Dr. Zakaria Ali always say to his students that, “apa-apa sahaja, sila pergi ke 'sarang' saya untuk segala urusan,” meaning that any problems related to study, he requests them to see him in his really “privacy” sarang. And he use to said, “Please shut the door, thank you!” From those phrases of conversation, Dr. Zakaria Ali is take care about the “Sarang” and it seem important to him. Again, we stand in front of the painting. What we able to feel?

Sharing with Dr. Zakaria
Generally, loneliness of Dr. Zakaria spare in any part of his painting. The environment is at human's eyes view, stand alone at 3 storey height emergency staircase, view south to water tower, a beautiful and peace surrounding in USM. Dr. Zakaria has recoded the condition before sunset. Usually sunset symbolizes sadness and loneliness. Combinations of colours look unity with others. Majority of the painting were covered with warm colours like red, orange, yellow and others bright colours. Those warm colours not only show the environment and condition of sunset but those colours brings typical of feelings. Red means alert, orange means warmth and yellow means brave. Those combine will become a logical situation and a major feeling of the painter. I believe, Dr. Zakaria was making a big and importance decision that is able to light-up his life or to push-backward. Making decision is not an easy thing. That why, he alert, attention, precaution & Take care with his self, maybe his family? Whose know, these only an analysis in usage of colours. Yellow colour always is the brave and bright colour. Judgment of a decision needs a brave people to do so. Only brave people will take a lot of challenge. I believe that Dr. Zakaria is judging his future life in art to make a right decision before he finish his 40 pieces of “The Tower Series”. This only the 15th painting of 40. I discover this statement during a conversation with him at ASB-AMBRO USM Gallery, last Friday, and 29 July 2005. Refer to “The 11 Artist”Artgrup, this book stated that “The Tower Series” is a continuing series of experience, feeling, expression and even a happening of Dr Zakaria Ali, or we can say that “The Tower Series” is a real-time “daily” for him. Refer to the “Tower 1”; it was the 1st painting of the series. It painting his “Sarang” external view and the water in front, that Dr. Zakaria is located at southern view to northern. The long shot scenery of his “Sarang” seems like to introduce his new “Sarang” at that time. Maybe not.

The Red Path
Why I say that is a “red” path?
Red means alert, right?
I have discover that the combination of the handrail with different thickness of line and arrange in the different space.

Refer to the steps of the staircase that overlapped and diminished of rectangular not only showing the depth but it hardly show the direction too.

The 3rd element is colours and value. Again please refer to the steps of the staircase. There are reddish GI plate metal. The Intensity of Red colour become low key especially in the small bottom part of the step. The usage of blue as dark tone to mix-up with red colour to gain a tone colour and the intensity scale of red. A strong influent will hit on the viewer that the staircase is really had its perspective and direction.

Refer to the chart below; there is the way how the painting showed direction force. Usually composition which is using this principle always has the beginning, path of process and the destination. The story behind the painting always has to relate with the painter. Get little bits of studies about the artist or the painter. Then the results have to compare to the concept and theories of the painting. Refer to the red sandals; both of the sandals are facing outside. I believe, if the sandals able to talk. They must say to us that, “Let's me out of here!” Or “You jump, I will jump too!”...

A pair of sandals always has connection with us. We only wear sandals to travel along, from destination A to B or from our starting point to the ending point to experience and to gain something that able to enhance your life and your knowledge.
But this is depending to individuals. Most of the community will think that if they go to the ending of the point, they will earn money in the amount they want. Minority of community think the results are not so importance but “the path to success” is the wisdom of this story.

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