Rebab 2012

Statement 

Rebab is one of Malay traditional instrument which existed in Malay world around 15^th century ago through the expansion of the great Ottoman Empire. Rebab was also known as rebec, rabab, and rababa in various countries around the world. Rebab in the Malay world is different and unique because it has been developed and changed by the Malay so that, it can fit and played in various Malay traditional performances such as main puteri, mak yong and gamelan.

The concept in this particular painting is to visualized and stylized the rebab according to its form and symbolism. The part of the rebab which I choose to make as a subject is the head of the rebab or also known as the pucuk rebung. The motif pucuk rebung were commonly used by the Malay people to decorate houses, batiks, and even

weapons. The pucuk rebung according to Wagner (1957) were used to signify growth and fertility, it was also said to be the symbol of Malay spirituality or mysticism.Based upon the symbolism, I intentionally stylized the head of the rebab as if it was growing and the color which is used for the background is the color green and purple. The color green was globally accepted as the color of fertility and growth while the color purple symbolized spirituality and mysticism