Review of Anna Keiko’s Painting: Contemporary Expression in the Context of Art History

By: Rizal Tanjung

Anna Keiko’s painting presents an expressionist approach with the use of vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes, creating a dynamic and emotionally charged composition. This work appears to be part of contemporary art, emphasizing individual expression and freedom of form. To understand Anna Keiko’s position in the evolution of world painting, we must examine the long history of visual art from prehistoric times to the contemporary era.

The Evolution of Painting: From Prehistory to Modernism

Painting has undergone a long evolution, reflecting humanity’s cultural and intellectual development.

1. Prehistoric and Ancient Art (40,000 BC – 476 AD)

The cave paintings in Lascaux, France, and Altamira, Spain, are early examples of human visual art.

Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art began to show structured composition, perspective, and symbolism.

2. The Middle Ages (476 AD – 1400 AD)

Painting was dominated by religious iconography with Byzantine and Gothic styles.

The use of gold colors and flat perspectives reflected spiritual values rather than realism.

3. The Renaissance (1400 AD – 1600 AD)

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael revolutionized art with scientific perspective and realistic human anatomy.

Art became more human-centered, emphasizing intellectual exploration.

4. Baroque and Rococo (1600 AD – 1800 AD)

Artists like Caravaggio and Rembrandt highlighted chiaroscuro (light-dark contrast).

Rococo was more decorative and feminine, with soft colors and pastoral themes.

5. Neoclassicism and Romanticism (1750 AD – 1850 AD)

These movements combined classical elegance with emotional expression.

Artists like Jacques-Louis David and Francisco Goya challenged academic traditions.

6. Impressionism and Post-Impressionism (1860 AD – 1900 AD)

Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh emphasized light effects and spontaneous colors.

Post-Impressionism (Gauguin, Cézanne) focused more on structure and emotion.

7. Modernism and Avant-Garde Movements (1900 AD – 1950 AD)

Cubism (Picasso, Braque) deconstructed forms.

Expressionism (Kandinsky, Munch) highlighted subjective emotions.

Surrealism (Dalí, Magritte) explored the subconscious.

Contemporary Art and Anna Keiko’s Position in Artistic Evolution

Anna Keiko appears to follow the path of abstract expressionism, which emerged after World War II, where freedom of expression became the core of artistic creation. Artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning popularized this style with spontaneous gestures and expressive use of color.

In her painting, Keiko combines intense contrasting colors and distorted figurative forms, reminiscent of German Expressionism (such as Egon Schiele) with a touch of Neo-Expressionism (such as Jean-Michel Basquiat). This combination suggests that she is part of the contemporary art movement, continuously exploring the boundaries of form, emotion, and interpretation.

Anna Keiko’s painting reflects the evolution of art, which has undergone numerous transformations from prehistoric times to the digital era. Through her expressive approach, she becomes part of a generation of contemporary artists who continue the tradition of experimentation and artistic freedom. In the context of art history, Keiko’s work manifests the modern spirit—unbound by classical rules but focusing on human expression and subjectivity.

West Sumatra, March 19, 2025.

I miss the hug

A hug that they give you and you forget the weaknesses of your existence.

I miss a kiss

The kiss that someone give you and your stomach make those noise like is full of butterflies

I miss the smile

That childish smile that you have

U are smiling and all nature become

Pink

I miss the walk to the beach

The waves

The perfume of the salt

I miss the sunshine and the sunset

All the simple things that I had

I miss the generosity of people

I miss the kindness of grandparents

I miss the relaxing moments of drinking a coffee

Now, they all want your friend, your position, your talent, your contact, your potential, your life almost but no one…

Nobody want to get in your shoes

They are too tide.!!!! 

愚かさの夢

a dream of foolishness

プーシキン『神聖喜劇』に花栞恋と死のためその勿忘草を

Pushkin’s

flower bookmark

in The Divine Comedy

for love and death

that forget-me-not

椅子坐り足首の下なき少女それでも生きよガザの廃墟に

girl in a chair

with no lower

than ankles

still live！

In the ruins of Gaza

偽善者の甘い蜜には気をつけろ麻薬のやうに汝を洗脳す

beware

of the sweet nectar

of hypocrites

brainwashing you

like a drug

友逝きてしばらく筆の止まりけり春雨つづき灰湿るかも

a friend has passed away

and the writing has stopped

for a while

spring rain continues

ash may be damp

生まれては死にゆく夢に右往左往するこの世の人の無粋かな

to dreams

that are born and die─

the inelegant

of the world’s people

who move right and left

南天の実は人知れず落ちてゐし春に逝きし友は空と地に盈（み）つ

the heavenly bamboo seeds

had fallen

unnoticed

a friend who passed away in the spring

filled the sky and the earth

人類の滅びしあとの春の月見る人もなく澄みにけるかも

the spring moon

after the fall

of mankind

no one will be there to see it

It will be crystal clear

愛求めさまよひ続ける人愚か愚かさゆゑに愛をし信ず

those who continue

to wander in search of love

foolish

People believe in love

because of their stupidity

失望を重ね重ねて桜花咲くころまでの遠き道のり

disappointment

after disappointment

a long way

until the cherry blossoms

bloom

裏切られ来しことさへも人の常山茶花ひらく無垢の紅かな

even coming

to be betrayed is

what people always do

open sasanqua

In immaculate crimson

恨みなぞ愚かさの夢人よ知れ生死の迅さの虹のはかなさ

resentment is

a dream of foolishness

know, O man!

that the speed of life and death

is as fleeting as a rainbow

夢の世をうつつと信じさらに未来を夢みる人の業（ごう）し哀しき

believing

the world of dreams

to be reality

and the karma of those

who dream of a future even more sad

花咲かば散るのは定め勝敗も夢の遊戯や何を浮かるる

when a flower blooms

it must fall

winning or losing

is a dream game

what is there to be buoyant about?

深き根や冬の土壌に蜜を吸ひ春来たるれば白き花成る

deep roots

suck nectar from the soil

in winter

when spring comes

they will be white cherry blossoms

Reason for the Rain

There was all this talk about Botticelli.

There was all this wine in our veins.

There was all this rain.

And all those people coming and going

Through my brain

Dancing on the ferry to another shore

Changes of scenery, of geography

Changes of heart

And there was this wall between words,

Erected with pain.

Will this rain ever stop?

Will the summertime

Open a window

And let the sun shine

From inside

Through my eyes again

After all these years

Of waltzing all alone

All by myself

Amidst the crowds?

Notes toward a Ballad

The August sun is intense, I undress

On the beach, sand in my toes

I hold sunrays in my hair.

I take refuge in a café 

On the nameless street

Tired of the heat

White wine goes green in my glass

Sun still fire in the sky.

No shade, no break,

His eyes dance on me,

They burn my skin 

I accept the figs he gives me

They are too soft. 

The coffee is too strong.

And the sun doesn’t give up.

And he does not give up. 

And now I lie awake pretending

That he lies awake

And that the whole world is awake

As we were then

In that summer heat

In that café

Without a break.

RECIPES FOR A POWER-GRAB

Scenario #1

A country rich in minerals and trade

located on a gateway to the globe—

just might change hands if pressure is applied.

Attack! And say you’re bringing liberty.

Attack with well-armed troops, with drones and bombs.

Ignore all blood and grief. You come in peace.

Accept surrender. Now this goldmine’s won.

Scenario #2

Work from within. Don’t fire a single shot.

Build a base of angry guys with gripes.

Unite against a common straw-man foe:

immigrants, women, LGBTQ.

Repeat bold lies. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Once you’re President, usurp the power

of Congress, and the country’s highest Court.

When you own both—no checks, no balances.

Then bust departments one-by one; install

head honchos with no skills, in debt to you.

Appoint a scapegoat– purge department staffs.

You now pull all the strings. No oversight.

Then strangle the economy with tariffs.

A trillion dollars can be milked this way.

Populace will be beaten, fearful, broke.

The country’s yours, and you’ve not fired a shot.

Scenario #3 

By tactics fair or foul, gain full control

of weapons that could atomize the planet.

Use the threat of nuclear revenge

to bend all countries to your will. The Heads

of States who moan about earth’s climate woes

will buckle when you threaten Armageddon.

They know that you don’t bluff. You never lose.

You’ll own the biggest empire ever known.

Copyright 3/2025                Patricia Doyne

A LIGHT SNOWFALL ON THE SIDEWALKS

It is the time,

the Times,

to be writing

about…

the place I visit

as often as

Time allows–

Canada, to be

the place I write

about–

I know you

my country–

damn the politicians

and all the time

lies use their mouths,

to fool the clock,

fool us, fool the fools.

It is time,

the place I find

is my country–

Canada, I want

better for you–

can I speak of you

like you are a you?

Canada,

you allow me to know

travels, many times away,

as someone calls it–

“a time away”– I will

take it, Canada,

I want to write

about you–

damn the Liars!

All the time

it has taken me

to become, to merge

into the Times,

right here where we

can easily touch

something…or somehow

someone real close…

very real…please.

A DEFINITION OF FREEDOM

So far,

as a

Canadian,

I

can say

whatever

I want

to the

World.

WHY SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT LOVE

Robert Smith

unlike any other

Smith

has come through,

until this morning

his song titles

hadn’t reached me,

but today I

take upon me

the cure

and open

that which has always opened

when great songs

have reached me,

I have been through it,

and so have

so many others

who won’t allow themselves

to be shut down,

to be dumbed down,                            to be the witnesses,

to become the ones

you know you are,

as Allison Goldfrapp                            has asked us

to become, the ones

who must lead now,

the ones who knew

what to do with Love,

unlike me,

at the end

ready to walk endlessly

into all the voices

trying to be human,

but were fooled, were

led from their true voice,

were no different

than the voices of

the Wild, they didn’t know

they possessed,

the voices that led me

into a place

I never want to leave,

now the place, with you,

please stay with me.

Chad Norman, Truro, NS, Canada

His poems have appeared for nearly 40 years in literary publications across Canada, as well as a number of other countries around the world, also translated into Albanian, Spanish, Polish, Chinese, Turkish, Italian, Czech, Vietnamese, Portuguese,  and Hungarian.

In October 2016 he was invited by the Nordic Assn. for Canadian Studies to give talks on Canadian Poetry and read from his books at Borupgaard Gym in Copenhagen, and Risskov Gym in Aarhus, as well as other readings in both cities, and Malmo, Sweden. Because of that tour Norman started the manuscript, Counting Coins In Denmark And Sweden.

 In October of 2017 he read at various Eastern Canada venues in Kingston, Ottawa, and Montreal, reading poems from his Selected and New collection, published by Mosaic Press (Oakville, ON).

In October of 2018 he read at various types of venues from universities to cafes to pubs throughout Ireland, Scotland, Wales, while there he visited Swansea and slept three nights in the room where Dylan Thomas was born. A celebration of Canadian Poetry took place during this tour too.

His most recent books are a children’s picture book, B And Boy, 2023, Cyberwit. Net (India), and a new collection, Parental Forest,  out with AOS publications (Montreal).

Finally, Norman’s poem, The Shoulds, has been selected to be included in the Vagabond Lunar Collection, part of the time capsule scheduled for a Fall launch to the moon.

 He is currently a member of  The Writers Union Of Canada, PEN Canada, and a volunteers for 12 local crow families.