A Linguist Known For His Art

By Hamdan Ismail LANGKAWI (Kedah, Malaysia), Oct 5 (Bernama) -- Abstract art has never been part of Prof Dr Abdul Jalil Othman's field of academic study. He was a lecturer of language and literacy education. However, his casual interest in abstract painting has evolved into something more serious over the past decade. "My interest was initially for leisure. However, one day, someone saw my work and wanted to buy it. This led me to consider delving into it more seriously,” said the Universiti Malaya (UM) lecturer. Abdul Jalil, 56, was speaking to Bernama during his abstract sports art exhibition with artist Lyna Khairi at the 11th Asian Games Management Conference here, recently. "This is the first time I have held an exhibition of this theme and according to the organiser, this is also the first abstract sports art exhibition ever held in conjunction with the conference,” he said. A PASSION NURTURED Abdul Jalil’s interest in the arts was inculcated through observing his late father’s penchant for painting. His father, Othman Ahmad, was a school teacher who died in 2012. Othman’s love for painting was such that he would engage in it after coming home from school, without fail. "As I grew older and took painting more seriously, my father turned into a fan of my work. He attended my first solo exhibition at the UM gallery and was eager to attend my second, but his time came before he could do so,” he said. Othman had suffered a stroke for about a month before succumbing to it. “Seeing my father bedridden inspired me to create an abstract painting of tears, which I featured in my second exhibition,” she said. SADNESS INSPIRES His sorrow over losing his father was manifested in over 60 of the paintings featured in his second solo exhibition at the Shah Alam Art Gallery in 2012. “Despite the grief, I felt compelled to continue painting. All the colours used in my painting then were sombre. People might not have understood it at the time, but I was painting for my father; to fulfill his dreams of being with me,” he revealed. His father’s death did not dampen his spirit. Instead it spurred him on, inspiring him to hold more exhibitions and helping him make a name for himself as well as pave the way for new sources of income. "Once, during an exhibition, an art lover from South Korea became so enamoured with one of my abstract paintings that he was willing to pay RM23,000 for it,” he said. (US$1 = RM4.39) He has quite a fan base locally as well, particularly among dignitaries and corporate organisations who purchase his work through his exhibitions. “I may have been paid handsomely for my work, but to me, what is more gratifying is the opportunity to share my art with others,” he said. MORE RECOGNISED FOR HIS ART After 10 years working with acrylic on canvas, Abdul Jalil is today better known for his abstract art than he is as a professor of linguistics. His work has brought him to countries like China, Taiwan, Indonesia and Thailand to give lectures and demonstrations on abstract painting. “Ever since such invitations poured in, I have had to plan my year ahead in order to fulfill the requests as well as my obligations as a lecturer,” he said. The invitations were for exhibitions of his work, lectures, art evaluation, among others. He said it was difficult to decline them as it was a form of recognition for his ability and natural talent. “I have never formally learned art. It was my deep interest in it that pushed me to hone whatever talent I had,” he said. He hopes to one day own his own gallery to display his masterpieces and as a centre for learning and appreciating abstract art. "I would also like to develop young talent and guide them so that more would be encouraged to explore the arts," he said. -- BERNAMA