Assignment 3: National Gallery
#1: Social Realism
“Here they come” by Koeh Sia Yong
In this painting, it makes me feel that it is very difficult, tiring and dangerous to live in the past. In the middle of the picture, there is an old man pushing a cart and he looks like he is trying to run away as he turned to his back. His face shows the anxiousness. We can tell that it is difficult to run away while pushing the cart because his hands’ muscle are tensed up. On the other side of the picture, there is this little girl hugging tightly on her mother’s tights. She looks afraid and her mother is comforting her by patting on her back. This shows that life is very dangerous back then as there are many people running around creating lots of chaos. We should feel appreciative towards what we have right now, a safe and peaceful Singapore, and not forget what our forefathers have been through.
“National Language Class” by Chua Mia Tee
In this painting, it reminds me of the hardship Singaporeans have been through before, during and after Singapore’s independence. Malay was made as the national language back then. It was unfair for non-Muslim people to learn this language just because this is a national language of Singapore. Although being able to attend school and learn an additional language may be an added advantage for Singaporeans at that point of time, it has shown race inequality between Singaporeans. I am glad and thankful to Singapore’s government for leading and bring Singapore to what it is now. As a Singaporean, we should be proud of it and work hard towards bringing Singapore to a greater height.
#2: Wood/Lino Cut
“13th May Incident” by Choo Keng Kwang
This woodblock print is about the scene from the Chinese middle school protests whereby students object to the British attempt of introducing compulsory national service. The strong and rough strokes on the angry policeman is able to depict how much force he is applying on his arms flailing with his baton. Every strokes and different pressure applied on this lino cut is well-planned. The artist drew himself into this lino cut which makes us believe this incident that really happened and he is part of this incident. He is able to convey to us the importance of this incident.
The difference between this lino cut and social realism is the color. This lino cut is simply black, thus, viewers have to take a slightly longer time to look at this lino cut than at the social realism in order to fully understand the story behind.
#3: Wu Guanzhong & Chua Ek Kay Galleries
“Dancers and Flowers” – Dynamic/Energy
The flowers in this painting appears to stand out in front of the dancers. The amount of pressure applied on the brush makes the flowers look simplified but in the same time, viewers understand that those are flowers. The fast movement lines in the middle of the painting makes viewers wonder how many dancers are in there? Juxtaposing the dancers with the lotuses conveys a sense of dynamism. This captures the viewers’ attention to focus on looking into this painting for a longer time.
“Street Scene – Backyard of an Old Shophouse” – Pitiful
There are many old and destroyed buildings in this painting. The lines and strokes make the shophouses appeared to be very old and in very bad condition, probably because the shophouses have been there for a long time or due to lack of care. There is also a badly damage shelter that is made of a piece of brown and shabby cloth. This picture makes me feel pitiful towards people who are living there as they do not even have an adequate place to live in. We should feel sympathetic towards people who live in that time.
“Portrait of a Woman” – Confusing
Not being able to see where is the position of the woman, this picture give me an uneasy feeling.