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LITERATURE
Rambling Trifles, Dato’ Dr. Tan Chee Khuan, The Art Gallery, Penang, 2002, illustrated on page 94.

A delightful work with temperate colours play on the abstract was executed at the same time as the artist’s Battersea Park and Duel In The Snow paintings. This was one of the last works done in London when Syed Ahmad Jamal had used more planar and abstract figurative influence while studying at the Institute of Education in London University for his certificate in art education which came about after a stint at the Chelsea School of Art from 1951 to 1955. He returned to Malaysia after that and was sent to teach at the Batu Pahat High School in Johor. The parallel oil on canvas titled Daydream (1957) is currently held in the collection of Galeri Petronas.

Syed Ahmad Jamal was born in Johor in 1929. He received his early art education at the Chelsea School of Art in London (1951-1955) and his art teacher’s certificate at the London University (1955-1956). He was awarded the Fulbright scholarship to study sculpture at the Chicago Art Institute from 1963 to 1964. In 1974, he achieved his Masters in Art History after a two-year stint at the University of Honolulu, Hawaii. He had won prizes locally and internationally: First prize in Johor Art exhibition in 1950, Summer Competition, Chelsea School of Art London in 1954, Federation Art Competition Kuala Lumpur in 1962 and the National Bank of Malaysia Mural Competition. Syed Ahmad Jamal is recognised for his achievement of being an artist, educator, administrator and writer. For his great contribution, he was awarded the Seniman Negara (National Artist) in 1995.