Art in general is a representation of its culture. By viewing and observing the many different work of arts, one can always distinguish its origin. Every different type of culture and era presents distinctive and unique characteristics. However, everyone has their different view of art making it a 'universal language' as shown in the English expression, "A picture can tell a thousand words". .

The earliest recorded art was used as a form of communication and religion by the Egyptians. The next important era for art was the time of Greek art followed by Christian Art during the Renaissance. Art has transformed from being a mere painting on the wall of the caves into a tremendous force in the society these days.

Many people think that art is only the picture hanging in the gallery or in museums. For me, I believe that everything is art from buildings to machines. Each of these things started as an idea and mad

The Lion Dance, which originated from the Tan dynasty (AD618-806) in China, has been a part of the Malaysian culture for many decades. The Lion Dance together with Tai Tan Fatt represents the harmony and friendship between Man and Beast. This again shows the assimilation of a foreign culture. The Chinese who were fleeing the social and political upheavals in China brought in their culture. They not only brought in their traditional way of making art but also their knowledge of the Western practices.

The Malacca Baba and Nyonyas are an example of how people affect art. 'Straits Chinese' or the Baba and Nyonyas, are Chinese of noble descendants that have adopted a lot of the Malay culture into theirs. Although for most parts they are Chinese, they practice their own culture and beliefs. With this a whole new unique society was born. Although they are a very small minority, they play an important role in the Malaysian society.

From Muzium Negara, we see how the different cultures are defined in art. The Malays can be said to be every elaborate. Everything is done in detail. We see how many cultures have influenced the Malay culture. The tombstones show their Acheh influence. The shadow play itself shows the mixture of different cultures from 8 different countries. Although diversified, all the different shadow plays are bas

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 900
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)