SEC 3 AEP SOVA: Liu Kang & Georgette Chen

We will be looking at

2 Nanyang Artists today:

Liu Kang

Georgette Chen

Nanyang Artists

Early Chinese migrants in Singapore
from the late 1940s to the 1960s.

The Nanyang artists sought, each in
their own individual way, to combine
Chinese and Western artistic
sensibilities to depict the landscapes
and peoples of their adopted home of
“Nanyang”

Nanyang Style

• Integrates teachings from Western
  schools of Paris and Chinese painting
  traditions

• Depicting local or Southeast Asian
  subject matters.

Liu Kang

SOVA ARTIST 1

Background

• Fujian, China in 1911 and moved
  to Singapore in 1942

• A Singaporean artist best known for pioneering the Nanyang style

Background

• Studied at the Xinhua Art Academy in
  Shanghai, where he was exposed to
  both Western and Chinese painting
  techniques.

• Much of Liu Kang’s influence came from
  his teacher Liu Haisu and his admiration
  for post impressionist artists such as
  Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Van Gogh and Matisse.

SOVA WORK #1

Liu Kang
Artist and Model
1954
Oil on Canvas

The inspiration

Many of Liu Kang's artworks are influenced
by events in daily life. Like Gauguin, Liu
Kang went to an exotic location to draw
inspiration. For him, it was Bali, on a trip
with the other Nanyang Artists. For
Gauguin it was Tahiti.

Paul Gauguin
The Seed of the Areoi
1892
Oil on burlap

The inspiration

The Bali Field Trip

In 1952, Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi and Cheong Soo Pieng went on
their historic field trip to Bali searching for a visual expression that was Southeast Asian.

In Artist and Model which shows Chen Wen Hsi sketching a Balinese woman, Liu
Kang's dark outlines have become white (an innovation which could have been inspired
by batik painting).

Painted in 1954, this work may be based on a sketch made during the artists' field trip
to Bali two years earlier. Chen is seated, working on a sketching board propped on
another rattan chair. This rhythmic repetition of chairs, further echoed by the number
and arrangement of tea pot and cups on the round table makes the entire painting
delightfully casual and whimsical.

READ MORE: http://www.postcolonialweb.org/singapore/arts/painters/channel/12.html

Liu Kang
Artist and Model
1954
Oil on Canvas

Multiple Choice

The white outlines in 'Artist and Model' could have been inspired by

• Paul Gauguin

• Batik Painting

• Chinese Painting

• Van Gogh

SOVA WORK #2

Liu Kang
Life by the river
1975
Oil on Canvas

About the work

This work portrays a typical, local scene of village life in the 1970s near the Pasir Panjang area,
located at the western part of Singapore. Set against a backdrop of lush tropical scenery, the painting
depicts the lively activities of the locals in the foreground. Nearer the centre of the work, Liu also
captures a typical aspect of the kampong living people feeding their domestic animals (ducks).

Typical Malay wooden kampung houses on stilts, or rumah panggung (literally, “stage house”), with
gabled roofs. The stilts elevate the houses off the ground in order to keep their occupants safe from
wild animals and floods, as well as for added ventilation

Influence: Chinese landscape painting

Liu Kang
Life by the river
1975
Oil on Canvas

Qiu Ying
Saying Farewell at Xunyang
1368 - 1644
Painting

Where Western artists introduced a "fixed

perspective" and vanishing point into their work,

Chinese artists traditionally used a shifting

perspective in their paintings

Influences: Western art movement

Liu Kang
Life by the river
1975
Oil on Canvas

Paul Gauguin
Mahana no atua (Day of the God)
1894
Oil on Canvas

Influences: Western art movement

The bold colours and the semi-abstract style
in which the faceless human figures are
depicted, however, suggest the influence of
Western art movements like Fauvism and
Post-Impressionism that Liu was exposed to
when he furthered his studies in Paris at the
Académie de la Grande Chaumière from 1929 to
1933.

Capturing essence of rural (kampung) life

The figures and objects in the painting
are simplified and reduced to its bare
essentials such that minimal details can
be seen.

Flat colors are also applied boldly in large
areas, showing much resemblance to the
post-Impressionist, Gauguin’s, style.

The faces of the villagers for example are
merely one patch of beige. One is unable to
identify their features such as their eyes,
nose and mouth.

Liu Kang
Life by the river
1975
Oil on Canvas

Capturing essence of rural (kampung) life

The greenery around the villagers is also
just patches of green with a few strokes of
light brown to suggest the branches of the
trees.

However, much emphasis is placed on the
activities of the villagers as well as the
atmosphere of the scene as a whole.

The figures in the painting are ‘fluid’

with carefully recorded gestures, showing

much movement and activity in the village.
capturing the essence of rural life, which

is the ultimate goal of the artist.

Liu Kang
Life by the river
1975
Oil on Canvas

Multiple Select

Which of the following is true about 'Life by the River'?

• It employs the use of shifting viewpoints which shows influence of traditional Chinese painting

• The people are painted with flat tones and colours to express the simplicity of kampung life

• The work portrays a typical, local scene of village life in Malaysia

• The goal of the artist is to capture the essence of kampung rural life

Balance & Harmony

Liu Kang
Life by the river
1975
Oil on Canvas

Much balance and harmony can be seen in
this brightly colored painting.

• The yellow, gently curving bridge on
  the left, for example, echoes the blue
  river on the right, leading the viewer’s
  attention into the distance

• The family of six in the foreground is
  counterbalanced by the two sampan
  boats in the river on the right.

Balance & Harmony

Liu Kang
Life by the river
1975
Oil on Canvas

• The row of houses on stilts in the
  background is also neatly arranged.

• In this way, symmetry is achieved in the composition and thus making the
  artwork pleasing to the viewer’s eyes.

Open Ended

How is balance and harmony achieved in 'Life by the River'

SOVA Artist 2

Georgette Chen

Art as Identity & Expression

Artists express their ideas, emotions and identities through their artworks and their artistic processes. These artworks and artistic processes also capture the beliefs and aspirations of the artists.

​

​Chen’s portrayal of her emotions comes through her bold use of colours, brushstrokes, and spatial arrangement.

Georgette Chen

Born in China (1906)

Daughter of a businessman & lived a privileged life. Educated in Shanghai.​

​

Studied in France & America

Painting style influenced by Western Post-Impressionism. Her father supported her art education in Paris and New York.​

Georgette Chen

Background​

Lived in Singapore (1953-1993)

Choice of subject matter: portrays local

South-east Asian culture.

​

Stayed in Penang 1951-1953.

Georgette Chen

Background​

Multiple Choice

What kind of painting style is Georgette Chen influenced by?

• Western

• Post Impressionism

• Impressionism

• Expressionism

Multiple Select

Which of the following is (are) true about the Post Impressionism art movement?

• Express symbolic and highly personal meanings

• Focus on naturalistic depiction of light and colour

• Seek to channel the unconscious as a means to unlock the power of the imagination.

• Place emphasis on evoking emotion rather than realism

Love of her life

Met Eugene Chen, the Chinese Foreign Minister to Paris, in 1927 and they married 3 years later.

​

​Produced numerous portraits of him.

Georgette Chen

Eugene Chen

Death

During the Sino-Japanese war, she was imprisoned with her husband in China. He died towards the end of WWII, in 1944.

​

Even after his death, she still remained deeply attached to him and continued to paint him.

Georgette Chen

Eugene Chen

​1939 - 1944

​1935 - 1938

​1944

1940 - 1945

1940

Move to Penang

In 1949, she married her second husband, Dr Ho Yung Chi, a close friend and former aide of Eugene.​

In 1951, they moved to Penang in where she taught art in Hang Chiang School.

Georgette Chen

Hang Chiang, Penang

Divorce

The marriage fell apart as it was not

a happy time for Chen.

​

Chen moved to Singapore in 1953 after

the divorce, alone.

Georgette Chen

Hang Chiang, Penang

Part-time teacher

In 1954, Chen began work at Nanyang

Academy of Fine Arts as a registered part-time teacher and was much-loved and respected by staff and students alike. She would remain there until

her retirement in 1980.

​

Georgette Chen

Nanyang Academy

of Fine Art​

​Chen suffered from Arthritis, and her health deteriorated until her retirement

in 1981. She was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1982, but she was hospitalised at that time and would remain bedridden until her death in 1993.

​

Georgette Chen

Deterioration

of health

SOVA

WORK 1​

Georgette Chen

​Portrait of Eugene Chen

Oil on canvas

92 x 91.5cm

1940

Singapore Art Museum

Open Ended

First impression: From this painting,

what kind of person do you think Eugene Chen was?

31 years her senior, he was a favourite subject of Georgette Chen.

​

​Over the years, she painted several fine portraits of him, They capture elements of his personality.

​

They seem to be influenced by Van Gogh’s portraits.

​

SOVA WORK 1

Eugene Chen

​An intelligent man with strong principles, he was described by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s 1st Prime Minister, as

​

“a quiet and reserved man and said nothing very much, but what he had to say penetrated deep into my heart and became food

for my political thought”.

SOVA WORK 1

How does Georgette Chen portray Eugene Chen as

the subject matter of

this painting?

​

Support your answer

with visual evidence in

the work!​

​

​

​

​

​

SOVA WORK 1

Open Ended

How does Georgette Chen portray Eugene Chen as

the subject matter of this painting?

​Wrapped up in thought, Eugene gazes into the distance. He could be contemplating on the book he just read.

​

An eminent diplomat and a scholarly figure, this painting portrays Georgette Chen’s husband as a serious and dignified gentleman.

​​

SOVA WORK 1

​Humble, down to earth & intellectual

He is dressed modestly and seated on

a simple cane chair. He appears to disregard material comforts in search

of higher intellectual concerns.

​

This is emphasised by the scarlet book surrounded by soothing organic colours of beige, cream brown and charcoal grey in the background and figure.

​

This pose is an intimate one, and with the added knowledge of the strong love between artist and sitter, the viewer almost feels intrusive.

SOVA WORK 1

Close personal relationship

​This pose is an intimate and vulnerable one, and with the added knowledge of the strong love between artist and sitter, the viewer almost feels intrusive.

​

Warm colours + ​delicate brushwork

SOVA WORK 1

She was concerned with conveying the essence of her subject, whether a person, a landscape

or a still life arrangement, with an emphasis on conventions through the expressiveness of colour and line.

​

Immensely inspired by her surroundings, especially local people and culture, Chen constantly drew from her environment.

SOVA WORK 1

Georgette Chen,

Portrait of Eugene Chen,

1940, Oil on canvas, 92 X 91.5cm.

Vincent Van Gogh,

Portrait of Madame Ginoux,

1890, Oil on canvas, 65 X 49cm.

Artistic Style

​Similarity to Van Gogh's work

Her portraits, similar to Van Gogh’s work,

appear casual & possess the immediacy of

snapshots. Eugene appeared at ease in Georgette’s presence.

​

Colours​

The choice of muted and dark-toned colours shows sensitivity to the subject who is in a

melancholic mood or deep in thought, enveloped by an invisible bubble, complemented

with heavy nature or atmosphere of the work

SOVA WORK 1

Georgette Chen,

Portrait of Eugene Chen,

1940, Oil on canvas, 92 X 91.5cm.

Vincent Van Gogh,

Portrait of Madame Ginoux,

1890, Oil on canvas, 65 X 49cm.

Artistic Style

Heavy nature or atmosphere due to:

A. Visible & unblended up- & down-ward brushstrokes

B. Use of muted & dark-toned colours

C. Heavy-base light-top composition

D. The heavy cane chair

E. Eugene’s seated posture

​

SOVA WORK 1

​A

​B

​C

D

E

Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice

What kind of fruit is this?

• Luo Han Guo

• Phoenix Eyes

• Dragon Fruit

• Rambutan

SOVA

WORK 2​

Georgette Chen

Phoenix Eyes

Oil on canvas

72 x 54 cm

1940 - 1945​

A native fruit of Guangdong, China.

The opening of a phoenix eye fruit looks

like a phoenix is opening its eyes.

The nuts of the fruit are edible after they

are ripe. They can be eaten plain, roasted,

boiled with water, or cooked with meat.

The cooked nuts taste similar to chestnuts.

Use of Colour and Brushstrokes:

​Dominantly warm, brownish hues to convey wooden texture and tone, with visible, unblended brushstrokes creating the uneven texture of the wood grain.

​

Delineation of basket edges with darker browns to indicate

overlapping weaves

​

Use of complementary colours – bright, warm, red pods balanced with the cool green of the ceramic bowl.

​

Use of Perspective:

​Top-down perspective, as if one is looking down at the still life rather than straight on (conventional)

SOVA WORK 2

The work presents a still-life of an intricately woven,

open basket, with phoenix eyes fruit arranged inside

and around it, on top of a wooden table.

​

The bright red pods appear ripe and ready for

consumption, cracking open like a phoenix opening

its eyes. Some of the pods appear to already be

emptied, and a small, octagonal bluish-green bowl

holds the a few black edible seeds.

​

A frying spatula can be seen hanging vertically

above the basket. The window frames, table, and

wall panels are all made of wood, suggesting the

environment to be that of a humble home kitchen

SOVA WORK 2

Chen was trained in Western art theory and technique. She is primarily an oil painter.

​Her technique is a combination of French and Chinese artistic concerns & approaches.

​

Her paintings show strong influences from Post-Impressionists:

​

1. Cezanne: still life painting (e.g. arrangement of items on a table)

​

2. Cezanne’s and Van Gogh’s painterly manner, brushstrokes and choice of colours.

​

SOVA WORK 1

Artistic Style

Georgette Chen,

Still life with Cut Apple and Orange,

1930, Oil on canvas.

Paul Cezanne,

Still life with Apples and Oranges,

1895, Oil on canvas.

Chen is essentially a Nanyang style*

painter; painting local subject matters.

​

She is also most widely regarded as a Post-

Impressionist painter who incorporates themes and the rhythms from Asia (and more specifically

Southeast Asian context).

​

​

SOVA WORK 1

Artistic Style

Georgette Chen,

Still life: Moon Festival Table,

1965 - 1968, Oil on canvas,

73 X 60 cm.

Georgette Chen,

Still life with tropical fruits, 1967,

Oil on canvas, 54 X 64 cm

Nanyang Artists

A group of artists who combined Western styles and influences with Asian traditions and subject matter. They gained fame in the 1950’s and after for their ‘break-away’ styles from more conventional forms of art at that time.

​

Most notably, they form the basis of Singapore’s first celebrated and locally conceived art as the region struggles to free themselves from colonial influences.

​

The pioneer Nanyang artists, include Liu Kang, Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Chong

Swee and Georgette Chen.

Multiple Select

Which of the following is(are) true about Georgette Chen's artistic style?

• Strong influences of Post Impressionism

• A combination of Western and Chinese artistic approaches and concerns

• Often draw inspirations from her surroundings.

• Expressiveness of line and colour