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The child-like sensibility in Dzulkifli Buyong sets him apart with his Melayu Native narratives of childhood antics and domestic scenes. A gangly woman, back to viewer, clambers up the short ladder to pluck the sirih (betel) leaves with her crooked fingers while another below seems to be admiring a leaf in her hand. Buyong’s paintings of childhood memories have been described as ‘an intense, absorbing world nourished by experience as well as an objective yet empathetic observation of his environment’. Pohon Sireh is no different. The vibrancy of the painting draws viewers in, inviting them to experience delight and revel in a usually ordinary tableau that is transformed into a compelling moment by Buyong’s signature style.

Buyong was dubbed a child prodigy when he swept the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Prizes (Pastels) in the Young Friends’ Art Competition at the age of 14, and again the 1st and 2nd (Pastels) Prizes the next year. He followed this up with a 2nd Prize (Pastel) in the Joy of Living Competition in 1964. A leading member of the Wednesday Art Group, he was mentored by Patrick Ng Kah Onn at Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur from 1961 to 1965. He also had informal art training in Japan for three years in the late 1960s.