A Brief Survey of Malaysian Art

Abstract

Jutting into the the Malay Peninsular divides it in two, the Malacca Straits to the west, and the South China Sea to the east. Since Ptolemaic times, traders have found it convenient to stop at any number of estuaries along the coast to restf exchange goods, refurbish fresh water, anywhere from the Merbok River in the north, the Malacca River in the centre and at the Singapore River in the South, From May to October, the Southwest monsoon winds blows in the southwesterly directions, bringing ships from India and the Middle East; from November to April, the winds blows in the northeasterly directions, bringing ships from China. Over time, Chinese, Indian, Arab, and later European cultures left their marks on these riverside kingdoms, whose art we shall survey, in what follows.