Saya Saung
(b. 1898, Myanmar; d. 1952, Myanmar)
[Not Titled] (Landscape with a Pagoda)
c. 1920s – 1930s
Watercolour on paper
Private collection
Initial Response:
The moment I set my eyes upon this piece, I knew that the artist used watercolour. I was in awe because I knew firsthand how difficult it is to paint using watercolour from past experiences.
Analysis:
Since this piece was painted using watercolour, Saung didn’t deliberately use lines to compose this landscape. Instead, the lines are implied to form the shape of the objects in the piece. The trees, sky, clouds, the people, the pagoda and the grass were all implied lines from the watercolour the artist used.
The shapes are rather simple and realistic. Saung is trying to put exactly what he sees in paper for other people to see and appreciate as realistic as possible (think of it as a photograph with a watercolour filter).
Saung deliberately painted the people small relative to the pagoda to show how enormous the pagoda is that even from afar, we are able to see it.
There is definitely some depth in this piece. It is clearly distinguishable that the pagoda is in the background behind the trees and the two people are in the foreground.
The light source is coming from above. The shadows formed are present in the artwork and most of them are shown on the grass patch in the foreground formed by the trees surrounding the place.
There is no implied texture as this piece is painted with watercolour. Hence, it is smooth.
The colour is rather dull and monotonous. It’s predominantly brown and green with a little bit of blue in the sky. Saung used different shades of brown and green which goes well with each other. All these colours are Earth colours which goes well with the nature motif of the artwork.
Saya Saung was of royal blood, perhaps partly accounting for another nickname in Burma “The Prince of Watercolor”, a possible double-entendre which reflected both his family background and his skills as a watercolorist. As an adolescent he attended St. Peter’s School in Mandalay and in adulthood served as a clerk in the Forestry Department and later taught as an art teacher at St. Paul’s High School. He lived in Rangoon but also spent much of the year in Mandalay, his home. Because he lived in both Mandalay and Rangoon, he passed on his skills as a transparent watercolorist to painters in both communities. He sold as many as 100 of his watercolor paintings to foreign collectors and was fairly well-off.
Raden Saleh
(b. circa 1811, Indonesia; d. 1880, Indonesia)
Merapi, Eruption by Night
1865
Oil on Canvas
Collection of the Tan family
Initial Response:
The vibrant contrast between the red, yellow and orange of the molten lava oozing out of the volcano and the black and grey of the sky and the volcano itself just caught my attention. I was amazed at the sight and didn’t know that such a disaster could be so beautiful.
Analysis:
Since this piece was painted using oil on canvas, Saleh didn’t deliberately use lines to compose this landscape. Instead, the lines are implied to form the shape of the objects in the piece. The volcano, smoke, the sky and molten lava were all implied lines from the oil on canvas the artist used.
The shapes are complex and realistic. Saleh is trying to put exactly what he sees in paper for other people to see and appreciate as realistic as possible. To see the magnificent sight of a volcano erupting at night.
Saleh deliberately painted the volcano to be at the centre of the artwork to show how enormous it is that even from afar, we are able to see it. You can see the tiny moon in the sky for added emphasis on its scale. In my opinion, he did a really good job on making the volcano eruption the main character in this artwork because your eyes go straight to it as soon as you lay your eyes on it.
There is definitely some depth in this piece. It is clearly distinguishable that the volcano is in the background and rocks and a bit of shrubbery are in the foreground.
The light source is coming from the moon above. The molten lava is giving off some light as well. The shadows formed are present in the artwork and most of them are shown on the rocks in the foreground as light from the molten lava shines on them.
Saleh used oil on canvas for this piece so he was able to use layers of paint to create a rough texture on this artwork.
Only a few colours are present: black, yellow, orange, red, white and grey. The piece is mostly dark but is complemented by the bright molten lava coming out of the volcano.
The ‘mountain’ has always been a powerful and significant symbol in many cultures and ancient mythologies. It is particularly so for Indonesia, a country where one finds the largest number of active volcanoes. Essentially, the artist presented the potent beauty of a sacred mountain, held in awe and fear for centuries by the Javanese.
Raden Saleh Sjarif Boestaman (1811 – 23 April 1880) was a pioneering Indonesian Romantic painter of Arab-Javanese ethnicity. He was considered to be the first “modern” artist from Indonesia (then Dutch East Indies), and his paintings corresponded with nineteenth-century romanticism which was popular in Europe at the time. He also expressed his cultural roots and inventiveness in his work.
Lim Nang Seng (林浪新)
Goat and Calf
1960s
Cement
Collection of National University of Singapore Museum
Initial Response:
The moment I saw this sculpture, I was intrigued at what it was since it looked different from the other sculptures. I also had a hard time figuring out what it was at first glance. And then I saw that it was a cement sculpture. I was completely shocked for I didn’t know such sculptures existed. I can only imagine how difficult it is to work with cement.
Analysis:
The sculpture has a rather simple and realistic shape even though it doesn’t look like what it’s supposed to look like at first glance. Although, there are sharp edges all around most likely because it’s difficult to reproduce realistic curves using cement.
I would say that the size of the sculpture of the goat and calf is similar to that of their real life-size counterparts if not a little bit smaller (I haven’t seen any goats lately so take my judgement with a grain of salt.) There are some unrealistic features on the goat though. It’s neck, for example, is bent in an unusual way which is unlikely for a real goat to mimic.
The sculpture is very rough and makes it a very accurate representation of the goat’s fur. I feel like I’m touching the real thing albeit a lot harder (obviously).
Lim did not paint his sculpture so it remains grey which is the natural colour of cement. I think his purpose for this is because he didn’t want to alter the material he used to give it a more natural look and feel. It is highly likely that any paint or whatsoever can change the natural texture of the sculpture.
This sculpture could have limitless meanings and purposes. Lim could just very well saw a random goat and calf on the side of the road and decided to sculpt them. But from my perspective, I see a mother caring for his child. The way the goat is nursing the calf making sure that her child is well-fed. Even bending her neck in a seemingly impossible way shows how mothers will do anything, even if it hurts them, for their child. The calf is also seen sculpted almost directly below the goat. It’s as if the goat is acting as a shield for the calf. This represents the maternal instinct to protect one’s child from any danger. Motherly love is also as tough as cement and can only be broken with a sheer amount of force or maybe not at all.
Lim Nang Seng (born 1916 in Kuching, Sarawak) was a pioneer of sculpture in Singapore (although many articles refer to him as just a “craftsman”). According to his entry in the Sculpture ’67: Singapore Art Society – First Sculpture Exhibition, he exhibited regularly at the annual art shows of the Singapore Art Society and other shows in Singapore and Malaysia. An article in the Straits Times (posted on the Singapore Heritage Yahoo Group website), gives some further information about him and his family. According to the article, “Lim designed Singapore’s first batch of one-cent coins in 1967. His other works include the sculpture of a dancing girl in Tiong Bahru estate and a monkey clock tower in Bukit Timah Shopping Centre. Both the statue and clock tower are still around today.” The National University of Singapore has several of his sculptures in its collection.
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