Monthly Archives: June 2020
Saw Lin Aung
Written on June 30, 2020 at 4:56 pm, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? I love Inle Lake. I wanted to paint a bird’s-eye view. Back then, no painting had that kind of perspective. Now people won’t feel it’s strange because drones are so popular. When I created this painting, I based it on my own imagination. Today the water has reached dangerous…
Min Zaw
Written on June 29, 2020 at 9:07 am, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? My paintings of women are based on traditional Myanmar art. Such art doesn’t highlight what can be seen with the naked eye. It emphasizes the emotion behind superficial subjects. I create such paintings because I want to show the tender attitude, the soft and honest appearance, the modest and…
Satt Aung
Written on June 23, 2020 at 12:30 pm, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? This is our Burmese tradition. In my paintings, I mostly emphasize tradition. So I chose a painting showing a novitiation ceremony. Since I grew up in a rural area, I went through that myself. I still remember it. The boys are usually put on horses with golden umbrellas above…
Saw Star
Written on June 18, 2020 at 11:52 am, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? I like this scene with girls sitting peacefully in the shade of a forest. They’re dressed like women from long ago. Burmese women in rural areas live like this till now. They laugh and talk frivolously when they meet. They represent the entire womanhood of Myanmar. I also like…
Pyay Way
Written on June 13, 2020 at 12:00 pm, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? When I was a monk, the military opened fire on protesters in Mandalay. The monks from our neighbouring monasteries were injured. When they were sent to hospital, the military followed to arrest them. I lived in Sagaing then. From dawn to dusk, we were filled with anxiety. Even though…
Nay Aung Shu
Written on June 12, 2020 at 5:29 pm, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? I wanted to capture the lives of people who have to work for their families and then return home at night. My paintings usually describe real life. I painted this one because of the circumstances of my environment. I felt and presented them on my own. Maybe I am…
Mor Mor
Written on June 3, 2020 at 11:39 am, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? When I graduated, I started to paint landscapes. Then I found I was painting water and anything related to water. Then I noticed I liked painting water. I like it because people feel at peace when they see water. I feel it’s satisfying. Because of water, other colours look…
Myint San Myint
Written on June 2, 2020 at 2:13 pm, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? In 1992, before I was a full-time artist, I read a book about Gauguin. It inspired me to write a song entitled ‘Melancholic Yearning for Paul Gauguin’. I held an exhibition with that song and some paintings. In this painting, there are words that show the troubles endured by…