Celebrating the art of figurative drawing, Mazli Mat Som is masterful in capturing the essence of his live models. Dressed in a blue colour baju kebaya, the common daily attire worn by Malay women in that era, the gentle and kind expression of a demure young woman captures the imagination of the viewer. The artist succeeds in bringing out nuances of the human expression, using soft strokes which contrasts with the lighting and rich shadows that evoke depth and movement. Mazli Mat Som, who succeeded Dato' Hoessein Enas to helm the Angkatan Pelukis SeMalaysia (previously SeMenanjung), is best known for his two iconic works in the collection of the National Art Gallery: Menanti Nelayan (1961) and Yati (Noriati, 1964). As a protégé of Dato' Hoessein, he upheld and promoted the best figurative traditions but died five years before his mentor. Among those active during his time were Idris Salam, Mohd Sallehuddin, Sabtu Mohd Yusof and his wife Hamidah Suhaimi, who painted similarly well in the figurative tradition. In his second outing in the Henry Butcher Art Auction on Nov 3, 2019, his Malay Boy (1970) raised a premium of a record RM38,080.