Lim Yew Kuan – Searching

• 1951, Oil on Canvas

Initial Response

The first thing noticed in this painting is the barefooted man who wears a torn singlet. The way he dresses made him stand out in the crowd as the rest are well dressed and appear to be very wealthy. He looks lost and helpless, yet the people surrounding him are mocking him. To me, the candle he is holding symbolizes hope and him finding his way out of the crowd.

Analysis

Lines are used to outline objects (e.g. people, clothes, car and buildings) and show their shadows. The painting has a smooth texture and is true to scale. All elements can be easily perceived as they are clear cut and sharply defined. There is a light source shining top down above the man holding the candle. Light reflection is found on his hair.

Depth is also seen as the elements overlap, vary in size and the way they are positioned. Asymmetrical balance is applied in this painting. Despite the various shapes and sizes of the elements, depth ensures balance in their perceptual weight visually. For instance, the perceptual weight of the man on the left balances with the perceptual weight of the couple on the right.

Majority of the painting uses neutral colors such as grey and brown. Dull colors are used on most of the passersby while light colors are used on the man with the candle, allowing him stand out and become the center of attention. The primary color red is only used on certain items such as car, purse and fire hydrant. All elements are monochromatic, where different shades of the same hue is applied to show the shadows.

Lim Yew Kuan is a widely known second-generation Nanyang Style artist who was born in Xiamen, China. His artworks include painting, printmaking and sculpturing.

Searching depicts a scene of a laborer walking past a group of staring, well-heeled passersby. It was one of the works created to display social reality – inspired when Lim witnessed and observed the rising social inequalities in society, social injustices during the Japanese Occupation and the social realism movement in China in the 1950s and 1960s. Searching is considered as an art that belongs to the Impressionist art movement.