Art Critique 1
Seaside
Chen Wen Hsi
1951
Oil on boardGallery Location: DBS Singapore Gallery
Initial response
What caught my attention was the vertical strokes of lines from afar. When I first looked at this art piece, it reminded me of the Gamcheon Culture Village in Korea Busan. I like how the artist uses colors to bring about the background, middle ground and foreground.
Analysis
Vertical lines are the main element of design in the art piece. The artist uses vertical strokes of different width and value of colors to differentiate the different forms in his art piece. Black sturdy lines (should be the trees or lamp posts) get smaller in width towards the top of the art piece, thus differentiating the background and foreground.
The diagonal lines across the art piece also serves as a guiding line, guiding our eyes to view the art piece from bottom left to right then to the details in the background at the top of the art piece.
Buildings are depicted using thick strokes of short vertical lines of different colors. The colors create implied lines, which serves as a guiding line too. The artist also uses atmospheric perspective as the colors at the background is not as bright as the colors used in the foreground.
The art piece as a whole is very abstract as it is made up of only vertical lines and colors. What is so interesting is that the art piece looks like a village as when seen from afar as a whole and when it is observed closer, it is harder to identify the forms the artist is trying to represent with his different strokes.
Background
Chen Wen Hsi was one of Singapore’s pioneer artists. A prolific painter who worked in a range of styles, he won acclaim for combining Western art with Chinese brush strokes in his paintings. He was also an influential art teacher at The Chinese High School and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) for many years.
Art Critique 2
Beggar
Tan Tee Chie
1953
Woodblock print on paperGallery location: DBS Singapore Gallery
Initial response
The facial expression of the woman is what caught my eyes first. I feel that the artist really portray her arrogance very well. The artist also make use of many different types of textures.
Analysis
In the foreground, the artist contrast the woman and the beggar. The artist portrays the difference in their classes through their height. The woman seems tall and high up there yet the beggar looks weak and miserly. The artist also makes the art piece balance by having black on the left (beggar) and white on the right (woman). Curved lines are used on the beggar (clothes and spine) which show softness while the horizontal lines used for the woman shows more rigidity, which also another type of contrast shown.
In the background, the buildings are combinations of shapes like triangles and squares. Different textures are applied to differentiate the buildings. Textures and patterns on the clothes of both the woman and beggar also add more details to the art piece. Wood are not remove very cleanly for the floor/road to show texture and create more dimension.
Background
Tan Tee Chie is best known as one of six key artists of the woodcut movement of the 1950s to 1960s in Singapore.
‘A Beggar’ is one of a series of eight prints that he produced during the heights of this movement, which highlighted the plight and hardship of the underprivileged in post-war Singapore.
Art Critique 3
War and Peace
Hendra Gunawan
c. 1950s
Oil on canvasGallery location: UOB Southeast Asia Gallery
Initial response
Initially, when I first saw this art piece, it gives me a very peaceful feeling. I feel that the guy looking into the horizon is very satisfied with his life currently as seen from his half-closed eyes. The blue background gives a serene yet gloomy feeling.
Analysis
Many curvy lines are used in this art piece such as the clouds, the mountains, the rivers, the trees and even the clothing and hair of the two men. The curvy lines suggest flowing energy, probably wind blowing softly, portraying a very relaxed atmosphere.
The background is made out of natural shapes which are typical representation of the subjects. The trees and their leaves are represent in a simple yet recognizable form. The artist uses analogus to create the form of the mountain. The shadows give dimension to the men and the gun, giving them more details and stood out more as the foreground. The depth is also created using atmospheric perspective with the subjects receding into distance losing details.
The light source is at the top right hand corner, where the men are looking towards. The light source shine directly into the faces of the men, as if they are looking at a bright future or some happiness.
Blue fills half of the painting, giving it a tranquil atmosphere. However, the shades of blue used by the artist is dull, which gives the tranquility a gloomy touch. The dull colors in the foreground for the clothes and guns add on to the despair.
The artist uses the one-third rule by placing the background (the mountains and trees) in the right one-third and the two men in the remaining two-thirds. This give more focus to the two men in the foreground. The blue background balances the dull colors in the foreground.
Background
During Indonesia’s War of Independence against the Dutch, Hendra Gunawan (1918 – 1983) and other artists joined a group called Pelukis Front (Frontline Painters). While the group took part in battles, Hendra brought back numerous sketches from the battlefield and produced posters about the nationalist struggle.
War and Peace is a scene that takes place shortly after a battle. The fighters are relaxed but still on guard, looking into a distant mountain for strength and inspiration.
After the war, Hendra set up the art collective Pelukis Rakyat (People’s Painters) and was seen as one of the father figures in the Yogyakarta art circles. The collective enjoyed the patronage of Indonesia’s founding president, Sukarno.
Date: 26 September 2016