Maung Maung Hkin, “Painting of the New Era”, Shumawa, January 1953, 115-121.1
115 For those of you who study art assiduously, you know that there is a different technique in today’s art scene. It is not just abreast of times but ahead of it, which makes it hard for it to be understood. A concept or ideology can be accepted only when it conforms to conventions. Any concept or practice that moves ahead of its times is dispraised by many. A different kind of practice that appears in the art [painting] scene today is likely be called “experimental” [Burmese: ေခတ္ဆန္]. This may not be the right word for it. Although it is experimental today, it will become up-to-date [modernွ] and popular tomorrow in one’s life, and then out-of-date the day after tomorrow. Finally, it will be behind times two days later. So, “painting of the new era” [art; Burmese: eခတ$သစ$ ပန္းခ်ီ] is the preferred term for easy understanding. Although painting [art] of the new era is totally new in Myanmar, it was already new and popular in many European countries such as England and France, as well as [North] America. (Fig. 1) I gained this knowledge from my own experience of attending the World Youth Forum in Ithaca, New York, as a representative of the Burma Youth Association. A selection of 50 paintings of the new era by American youths was displayed in a hall at Cornell University in Ithaca for representatives from the 36 nations to view. The senior secretary of the World Youth Association also encouraged the youth representatives to visit it and to take it as a chance to see painting [art] of the new era. Booklets with lists of paintings, painters and photos of their works were given to each of us. Then, as soon as I got half a day off, I went to that exhibition to learn something new.
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Characteristic of usage in the modern period, the Burmese word meaning “painting” is often used to stand for “art”, and likewise “painter” for “artist”. In this article, the original meaning of “painting” and “painter” is favoured. When translated as “art” and “artist”, “[painting]” and “[painter]” in square brackets follows, unless the Burmese word for “art” is used. The Burmese term meaning “painting of the new era” [art; Burmese: eခတ$သစ$ ပန္းခ်ီ] is generally understood as “modern painting” and “modern art” in Myanmar. Maung Maung Hkin, “Painting of the New Era”, Shumawa, January 1953, 115-121. Translated by Pann Hmone Wai; edited by Yin Ker.
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As I entered the hall with paintings on the walls, 116 The Black Cat [English] was the first painting I saw. First, I want you to take a moment to imagine what The Black Cat might be like. Maybe the image of an entirely black cat with sharp eyes and its tail hidden, hiding near the bushes about to catch a sparrow is what you see in your mind. Or is it a shiny black cat with a tinge of white at the very end of its hind legs and at the tip of an ear, with one of its forelegs patting a bed’s mosquito net moving in the breeze? Whichever way, the figure of a black cat must be in the picture. But there was nothing like a cat in the painting I saw with the title of “black cat”. If it had at least a black circle somewhere in the picture, you could take it as a black cat. It was not even like that. The black spots, almost squarish but long, were mixed with several circles and other shapes of red, yellow and green from left to right, and from top to bottom all over the painting. The whole painting was a colorful space. Turning my head from side to side, I looked for the black cat by scrupulously. As I was not allowed to take it off and turn it upside down to find the black cat from a new angle, I imagined seeing it by standing on my head and my legs touching the ceiling. Only lines looking like whiskers could be seen. I felt crazy, comical and ashamed of myself for seeking out the black cat amidst colourful vivid shapes. I gave up after imagining the figures and still not seeing even a clue of a tail. That was my first encounter with painting [art] of the new era. The second painting also drove me to my wits’ ends. When you look at Fig. 2, a painting titled Classical Warriors [English] by American artist Seong Moy [English], you will find the warriors after trying to see them upturned at an angle right before the painting. I also suggest that you try to do so from any other angle you can think of. By chance, you might see two warriors. But we are usually not so lucky. If you know how to look to see them, you will succeed. But we rarely know how to. Someone who is knowledgeable about painting [art] of the new era or has heard and read about it would find the classical warriors. But even for someone who knows about painting [art], it is not necessarily easy to know the nature of painting [art] of the new era and to find the warriors in the painting. In this case, how are we to arrive at the intrinsic flavour [Burmese: အရသာ; as in “rasa” in ancient Indian aesthetics] of painting [art] of the new era, if we are not able to find and see the proposed form in the works? This general description is an introduction to the external forms characteristic of painting [art] of the new era. The other paintings displayed together with The Black Cat and Classical Warriors were all of the new era. I took time to see them one by one. 117 Maung Maung Hkin, “Painting of the New Era”, Shumawa, January 1953, 115-121. Translated by Pann Hmone Wai; edited by Yin Ker.
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According to the given titles and based on what I knew, I tried to discern the figures in the paintings and to study the colour combinations. I had no basic knowledge of painting [art] of the new era, and without a clue to the paintings’ meanings, I ended up feeling confused and with no choice but to return to the hotel room. The young Americans who presented those paintings of the new era were all under 35. Every painter [artist; Burmese: ပန္းခ်ီ ပညာသည္] in America studied it assiduously. They already had the new way of creating painting [art] there. People from Paris in France were especially interested in it. Still, this does not mean that most Westerners understand it. Very few people know it well and most of the rest do not know its intrinsic flavor [Burmese: အရသာ]. Anyway, it is true that many chose to see them there. The representatives were not there alone; the residents of Ithaca showed up at the exhibition too. I saw many people, young and old, looking attentively at the paintings. (Fig. 2) Crowds of people came in and out of the exhibition every day. Hoping to see something or to grasp the new vision, I was there every time I was free. One day, I saw a young American lady looking at a painting with a bold combination of red and blue from different angles, closely and from a distance. 118 I thought she might be a painter [artist]. Thinking that she might also have something to say about that painting since she looked so fixated on it, I approached her and said, “Excuse me” [English] in accordance with their culture. “Interesting, uh?” I said facing the painting. She just smiled weakly at first, followed by a lovely and brighter smile on her face. “Oh… yes, this is really interesting. But please don’t think I can evaluate this painting well because I say so.” Then she pointed to a part of painting and said, “The combination of red and blue here is so bold, isn’t it?” “I, to tell the truth, have no idea.” She laughed out loud and I tried to laugh with her. It felt good to admit to each other that we did not know much about painting [art] of the new era. It was fun. “I am studying Fine Arts [English] for my degree at Cornell University. I am here because our professor told us to visit this exhibition of painting [art] of the new era.”
Maung Maung Hkin, “Painting of the New Era”, Shumawa, January 1953, 115-121. Translated by Pann Hmone Wai; edited by Yin Ker.
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The lady politely kept up with the conversation until a silence fell between us. I continued to ask, “Then what is your opinion of these paintings?” “I can’t find a word to report to our professor. What I think is that this kind of painting [art] with its different forms is defiant in an exciting way. As such, the creators are brilliant.” I did not get what she meant then. But I echoed her, “Right! That is a big risk. And I am really keen to understand their challenging works.” “We will, one day.” Of course, there will be a time when we all understand painting [art] of the new era. There are some who know it now. Those who know nothing about it want to understand it after seeing paintings of the new era. They see them again and again as they want to analyse what lies beneath painting [art] of the new era. They further study it, and they try to critique it with all their intelligence. Is this kind of painting [art] that is attractive to a layman a successful one? Based on their innate critical thinking, people are able to reason whether they are living in good times. When vision and consciousness focus on an object, cognisance occurs. This ability to see and to exercise discrimination is the only law, and with the maturity of wisdom, neither pleasure nor pain arises. There are people who think that painting [art] of the new era means suffering when they look at it. This is because they do not know it […]. 119 (Fig . 3) Those who know what it is think it is good and continue to derive pleasure from it. Some say that painting [art] of the new era is almost crazy; some say it is an improved, noble and outstanding version. Indeed, painting [art] of the new era seems disagreeable because of its controversial departure from the conventional art scene.2 To know it, one must go beyond the accepted rules and regulations of the art world and make his or her own critical observations. This is how I saw the two classical warriors from my inexperienced point of view. When divided into two parts by an imaginary vertical line, a figure was seen on left and another one on the right. When I saw the warriors individually, I tried to go on to the next step. As the title included the word “classical”, they were probably with horses. Indeed, the lower parts of them were horses! If they were, the lowest part must be the ground. If so, The word “disagreeable” [Burmese: မ်က္ႏွာေၿပာင္] here can also be translated as “unconventional” or “bohemian”. 2
Maung Maung Hkin, “Painting of the New Era”, Shumawa, January 1953, 115-121. Translated by Pann Hmone Wai; edited by Yin Ker.
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there must be legs and horseshoes. When I looked for them, I saw the triangular shapes which could be taken as shoes on the left and almost square forms on the right. If I could see their legs and shoes, I could see their bodies in the middle of the painting. As both of them were thought to face the viewer, we could only see their chest. However, to protect themselves, those parts were shielded by two crescent-shaped armours, 120 and we had no chance to see the horses’ chests. The heads were thought to be seen just above the warriors’ chests. On the left side, one of the heads was in the upper part of the painting. Because of its shrinking and rising nose, it was interpreted as being weighed down by its master armours and its own weight. On the right side, a sword was clearly held up. Right underneath was the tail curling up at the end. With this, the tail of the other horse on the left might be found as well. There, it was found not a single tail, but separated, possibly suggesting movement. These were all that I saw. I might be totally wrong; I do not mean to say that what I saw is right. In Fig. 1, one notices a kind of one-line drawing and a child-like style. It is the logo of the World Youth Association championing for every youth to take on his or her responsibility or duty. The figures are clearly boys and the logo simply conveys the meaning. Painting [art] of the new era is used as such in America. If Burmese painters [artists] understand and know this, their works will definitely be seen in the country [Myanmar]. What is needed is to study it thoroughly here. In the beginning, forms were drawn using lines so that they could be identified with reference to those in nature. Subsequently, lines were used less in painting and forms were portrayed according to the laws of linear perspective. Some artists subsequently relied even lesser on lines and colours, and a new form of painting [art] is said to have emerged. What’s more? Painters [artists] of the new era no longer cared for the conventions of painting [art]: perspective, tone and hue. In other words, the painting method of the new era does not adhere strictly to the conventions of painting [art]; they are even abandoned, if need be. In painting [art] of the new era, fine art seeks to convey none other than the intrinsic flavour. Painters [artists] of the new era are not taking things lightly in the art scene. In fact, they are trying to introduce some developments. The world evolves by the day. No two concepts are the same everyday. Each day brings positive changes. It should be the same concerning ideologies of art [painting]. Painting [art] of the new era is accepted as the developed form of painting [art] in Western countries. It is true that there are those who find fault in it and consider it to be ignominious or crazy. However, without the general public’s encouragement or support, it could not have been that popular. We have some young painters [artists] in Myanmar who are interested in painting [art] of the new era. Paintings that do not follow the conventions of painting [art] can now be seen Maung Maung Hkin, “Painting of the New Era”, Shumawa, January 1953, 115-121. Translated by Pann Hmone Wai; edited by Yin Ker.
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at Bagyi Beikman [independent of Sarpay Beikman), for instance: Ship Wreck [English] by the artist named Leon [English]. In it, I can sense the fervour of the young Burmese eager to learn the form of painting [art] of the new era that is popular in the West in the right way. They want to improve. 121 With truly supportive audiences, they will surely rise soon. The world of writing has two kinds of people: writers and readers. Writers rely on readers and readers rely on writers too. Likewise in the art scene, painters [artists] and viewers that value painting [art] support each other; they give and take. But why is it that painters [artists] of the new era continue to make such mysterious paintings? It seems that they do not care for the viewers. But again, this is not the right thing to say. If we, the viewers, study their painting [art], we will understand their good will. Nowadays, painters [artists] of the new era demonstrate their skills in their very works. Still, are we listening? Painting [art] of the new era was once the topic of a programme broadcasted on air by lecturer U Kyi. He next delivered a speech on it at the YMBA again. Painting [art] of the new era will develop in Myanmar if it is taught, and its profoundness, significance, techniques and ways of being understood shared with those who are interested. This can be done at centres or workshops run by painters [artists] with a fair knowledge of it. Traditional works of art are diligently practised in Myanmar today. It is a blessing indeed. Min Thu Wun the poet wrote that [traditional] Burmese painting [art] peaked especially in 1951. Zawgyi presented many articles on traditional Burmese painting [art] to the public. Besides, it is clear that painter [artist] U Ba Kyi who once studied art in France in Paris, the university of the art world, is diligently recreating [traditional] Burmese works of painting [art]. In revealing true [traditional] Burmese art, there must be those who analyse Burmese artworks in a persistent manner and others who adapt them in accordance with up-to-date concepts and customs. I wished we could create true traditional artworks that are abreast with the times. What I think is that it is important to study at the same time with great interest painting [art] of the new era, which is currently popular in Western countries. This is because I have heard that painting [art] of the new era relies on the Eastern method of line drawing: lines before painting. Whose research will be more spontaneous: the findings of the Western painter [artist] studying Eastern painting’s [art’s] line drawing or the discoveries of the Eastern painter [artist] on line drawing which originated in the region and is part of his own country’s tradition? Is it true that Burmese painting [art] can only be better studied by a Burmese painter [artist]? If we focus on true Burmese artworks, adopt the techniques of Maung Maung Hkin, “Painting of the New Era”, Shumawa, January 1953, 115-121. Translated by Pann Hmone Wai; edited by Yin Ker.
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“experimental painting [art]” and make progress, then we will surely come to create worthy works of painting [art] in a short time. If this really happens, it will cause the whole art world to shake. This is when the world will turn to look at Myanmar.
Translated by Pann Hmone Wai Edited by Yin Ker
Maung Maung Hkin, “Painting of the New Era”, Shumawa, January 1953, 115-121. Translated by Pann Hmone Wai; edited by Yin Ker.
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