Hla Pa. “Psychological Painting and Shumawa,” Shumawa, February 1953, 30-31. 1
30 I had first decided to write an article about the Prado Museum in Madrid in Spain for Shumawa magazine this week. Instead, by chance on a business trip to Yangon, I have the opportunity to write about psychological painting [modern art; Burmese: စိတၱေဗဒ ပန္္းခ်ီ]. I reached Shumawa’s office on 9 January. As I entered the editor’s room, a painting placed on the table caught my eye. It bore the signature of by Bagyi Aung Soe. I later found out that Ko Aung Soe painted it for Kyi Aye’s short story, “Viewpoint”.2 He also presented it at an art exhibition held at the west of the Shwedagon. While we were talking about the title of the painting, A Man, A Violin, A Monkey, presented at the exhibition, artist Hla Soe arrived. He had in his hand the cover illustration for Maung Htin’s Dream, translated from a Japanese novel. I asked him to show me his Dream. Again, it was mesmeric. In the Burmese art scene, Ko Aung Soe’s and Ko Hla Soe’s pictures attest to how bold they are. They inspired me to write this article, instead of the intended text about the Prado Museum. You will find the short story “Viewpoint” by Kyi Aye somewhere in Shumawa magazine. Then look at the illustration for it. “What is this?” will be the first question that pops up in your mind. Unable to figure out what it might be about, you are likely to feel somewhat disappointed. However, psychological painting [modern art] does not seek to upset anyone. A painter creates it the way he feels about the subject matter or something, and one can next slowly get a sense of how the creator felt about the subject matter from the title of that painting and the movements of the brushstrokes. It is enjoyable for the viewers to trace the artist’s thoughts through the progressive stages of creation. In this way, how are we to appreciate the painting by Ko Aung Soe? 31 1
The term “psychological painting” is understood as “modern painting” and “modern art” in Myanmar. 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. 2 Kyi Aye (1929–2016) is a renowned writer. Many of her publications were illustrated by Bagyi Aung Soe. “Ko” meaning “brother” is used before the name of a male peer or junior. Hla Pa. “Psychological Painting and Shumawa,” Shumawa, February 1953, 30–31. Translated by Pann Hmone Wai; edited by Yin Ker.
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AungSoeillustrations.org