Lot Essay
Commenting on his own position as an artist, Dzulkifli has once commented "I like to paint children, colour games, and subjective paintings about my surroundings. Beauty is not important. Better common things that other people don't see. Everyday happenings, children particularly, their gaiety and liveliness." (Dolores Wharton, Contemporary Artists of Malaysia. A Biographical Survey, Asia Society & Union Cultural Organisation Sdn. Bhd. Petaling Jaya, Selangor, 1971, p. 90.).
Starting to paint at a very young age, Dzulkifli never lost his innocence as a child. His childish naivety always help to imbue his works with a persistent sense of freshness and surprises comparable to the first lesson of a child.
Critics and historians often look at Dzulkifli as an exceptional presence, "... someone who constantly poses structural problems in having to fit into a general scheme of a linear historical development." ('Towards a Utopian Paradigm. A Matter of Contingencies and Displacement' in Traditional Aesthetics in Visual Arts, First ASEAN symposium on Aesthetics, National Art Gallery Kuala Lumpur, 1989, p. 22.).
These words tersely sum up the originality and ingenuity of an artist whose works speak of both sweet childish charm as well as an uncanny power of captivation.
Starting to paint at a very young age, Dzulkifli never lost his innocence as a child. His childish naivety always help to imbue his works with a persistent sense of freshness and surprises comparable to the first lesson of a child.
Critics and historians often look at Dzulkifli as an exceptional presence, "... someone who constantly poses structural problems in having to fit into a general scheme of a linear historical development." ('Towards a Utopian Paradigm. A Matter of Contingencies and Displacement' in Traditional Aesthetics in Visual Arts, First ASEAN symposium on Aesthetics, National Art Gallery Kuala Lumpur, 1989, p. 22.).
These words tersely sum up the originality and ingenuity of an artist whose works speak of both sweet childish charm as well as an uncanny power of captivation.