Art Criticism

Ahmad Fuad Osman

Recollections of Long Lost Memories #1
Oil on canvas 2007

The Recollections of Long Lost Memories #1 is the latest art work from Ahmad Fuad Osman
Recollections of Long Lost Memories series exhibition in Rimbun Dahan. The artwork is a
landscape format painting using oil medium canvas. The painting was done in 2007. The
images are uses in the painting are the image of Allahyarham Tunku Abdul Rahman and a
teenager. The color that been use are monochromatic and bright colors. The late Allahyarham
Tunku Abdul Rahman is wearing Baju Melayu with Sampin holding an umbrella where else the
teenager is wearing the sunglasses on his head, a blue tee, jeans, sports shoes and dyed hair.
The landscape of the painting pictures the river, mountain and trees.

The artist uses the glazing technique in his painting. His style is pop art but using the realistic
approach. The composition of the images is approximate balance. The color of the old picture of
Allahyarham Tunku Abdul Rahman is the black and white monochromatic color. Where else, the
teenager is in brighter colors. The color of the late Tunku presents the past time but the
unknown teenager shows the present. The landscape is portrays such in the kampong with a
long wooden bridge. The teenager is from present standing in front the Tunku. The value or
tone of colors can be seen in this painting where the light and shadow plays the roles to form
the images. There are perceptible contrast between the two images in aspects of colours and
characteristic. The late Tunku is a symbol of Malaysian heroes but the other image is unknown
teenager with western appearances. The artist use deep space in this painting where we can
see the mountain far from the human figures. There are many kind of line that been use in this
artwork such as horizontal, vertical, diagonal and organic. The image of a teenager is
dominance compare to the other images because of the colours. The positions of the two
images create the movement like both walking crossing the river.

Recollection of long lost Memories #1 is in commemoration of the occasion of our nation‟s 50th
Merdeka last two years. The idea of reference the historic occasion and photos from the past
came to Ahmad Fuad. He sees another person standing in front the late Tunku crossing the
river. The person from the present is composing on the blank spaces in the old picture. He said
that “history is false memory”. “We don‟t get to influence history thus we don‟t care about it that
much.” The young Malaysians do not really understand the meaning of „Merdeka.‟ They only
study the history in classroom and feel the Merdeka‟s anniversary in full of joy and happiness.
Therefore they don‟t really care because they do not experience the hard time to gain the
independence. This painting has achieves the issues of the young people that don‟t really care
and understand the meaning to be independent. The youth in the painting wears modern
dresses do not portrays the identity of Malaysia-ness compare to Allahyarham Tunku Abdul
Rahman. It shows that the youth mind is still being colonized by the western culture. The
painting translated the meaning of the independence not only in the historical perception but
also the modernity of the present. By the idea of Fuad in this painting, he uses the images that
integrated to each other which bring the meaningful expression and make the audience to think
further. “Image can serve as pictures, are as symbols; they can also be used as more signs”

Rudolph (1970)