Malaysian digital painting: an art historical study / Mumtaz Mokhtar

Malaysian modern painting was established in the 1930s during British colonization. Since that period, artists applied pigments on paper and canvas, using media such as water color, oils, pastel and acrylic paint. With the advent of digital technology, local artists started using computers in their art-making in the 1980s and have become reputable since the Digital Collage exhibition in 1988. In the context of art, digital painting is an extension of the painting concept which refers to new forms involving various types of digital data including vector or raster image, text and sound. Digital painting is created through hardware and software in virtual and physical appearances. Similar to any form of art, digital painting tells about the product, the process and its nature. Although digital painting exists two decades ago, there is a lack of acceptance and understanding on the subjects. An art historical study will become a major reference for the development of Malaysian art. Consequently, this study aims to trace the chronology of the development of Malaysian digital painting. The stylistic and contextual issues including its formalistic format, media, themes and styles, and artists are also examined in this study. Using a mixed mode of research method, this study reviews related literature, observes hundreds artifacts and conducts interview sessions with prominent artists. Data for interviews were gained through a semi structured interview format. The instrument for the semi-structured interviews was formed based on related literature and practices found in research materials. The exploration of the history of Malaysian digital painting demonstrates the growth of Malaysian digital painting, the artists, the artifacts, and other related background. Based on the timeline chart, Malaysian digital painting still continues and more young artists are involved in digital painting creations. As a result, the history of Malaysian digital painting can be summarized into several important eras namely Programming Era, Paint Program Era and Multimedia Era. Hopefully, this research will be a major reference for further study in related fields.