SINGAPORE – Zoom in, literally, on five paintings by Singapore’s pioneer painters in The Straits Times’ new digital Discover SG Art series.
Thanks to high-resolution images from the National Gallery Singapore, readers can get up close to the works and see how Georgette Chen uses complementary colours in her 1946 Self Portrait, or observe the dynamic brush strokes of Chen Wen Hsi in The Ferry (1952).
The series also highlights the works of Chen Chong Swee, Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang.
All five artists were born in China, but moved to Singapore in the early to mid-20th century.
The male artists were part of a group that visited Bali in 1952 in search of artistic inspiration. That trip was a milestone in the development of what came to be known as the Nanyang style of painting, in which the styles of Chinese and Western art were combined to depict distinctly South-east Asian subjects.
The works in the series were shortlisted by the National Gallery Singapore after a short discussion with ST.
Dr Adele Tan, National Gallery Singapore’s senior curator, says: “Through a selection of vivid examples that are also on display at the gallery, we wish to illustrate the breadth of Nanyang art, which has captured the richness of life, materials, ideas and experiences in Singapore and South-east Asia from the 1930s to 1970s.
“We hope that viewers can get up close and personal with these artworks, to perceive not just the visual details but also understand the stories behind the works.”
In all the works, the migrant artists display a deep engagement with South-east Asia, which became their new home.
Chen Chong Swee’s Pig Farm (undated), for example, depicts a once-common Singapore sight in the Chinese ink style he is famed for. Cheong’s Landscape (1981) contains his signature lean elegant women, inspired by indigenous women of the region, while Liu’s Souri (1953) captures a classic Balinese scene in his distinctively bright colours.
The artists have been gaining ground with international collectors, as recent auction records show. The latest record-breaker is Cheong, whose abstract Nature’s Inspiration (1963) sold for a personal high of HK$11.5 million (S$1.9 million) at a Christie’s Hong Kong sale in November 2023.
But ruling the roost is Georgette Chen, who broke three records in less than a year after the National Gallery staged a retrospective in 2020. Her Still Life With Big Durian sold for $2.47 million in July 2023, making her the most expensive Nanyang artist to date.
The five works are now on show at the DBS Singapore Gallery. Visitors have until April 1 to see Georgette Chen’s Self Portrait, Liu’s Souri and Chen Wen Hsi’s The Ferry, which are hung in Gallery 1.
They are part of the permanent Singapore exhibit Siapa Nama Kamu?: Art In Singapore Since The 19th Century, which will be revamped in stages.
Go to Discover SG Art at str.sg/viz-sg-art
