One of several paintings Chen did of the Singapore River, this work shows bumboats against a backdrop of shophouses. The painting shows Chen’s analytical skill and objective handling of different surfaces with different brushstrokes - employing broken lines for waves, light, sensuous, pointillist touch of the brush to reveal the transparent and atmospheric quality of water, thick and swirling strokes to follow the curves of the bumboats and pencil-thin, delicate lines to outline the buildings. The light colours of the sky exude the sunny airiness of a tropical landscape. The effect of the work is poetic, serene and pleasing. Physical dimensions of original: 590 x 720 mm.
PR8-G6 on 6P Waves is a fine example of Poon’s relief wave-paintings with canvas stretched on a metal armature of curved contours. It is a development of his earlier two-dimensional wave-paintings. The combination of Poon’s preferred cool blue tones with shades of warm rose colour marks a venture into hitherto...
River bumboats are a long-standing subject in Lim’s paintings of the Singapore River, their presence filling each picture with symbolic and historical meanings. Impressionistically handled, Lim employs warm and vibrant colours such as red and green rendered in bold strokes, successfully creating a dynamic and joyous feel to the en...
The Archipelago series invokes the landscape of island-forms. The series returns Chua to the ink tradition of landscape painting, but Chua’s intentions are to cast the subject matter as symbolically localised landscapes to accommodate social and historical journeys of inter-regional migratory seafarers. Physical dimensions of original: 960 x 1420 mm....
This painting of paper lanterns and festive goodies of the Moon Festival belies the conscious and careful efforts Chen put into her choice of objects, their composition and colour scheme. The work is a formal and yet unpretentious arrangement of festive goods, in reds and greens, against a simple, pale...
This is an excellent example of the earlier works of Georgette Chen characterised by heavy brush strokes and texture. It reveals some influence by the 19th century French artist, Paul Cezanne. She combines the use of dynamic brush strokes with dark, heavy tones to suggest volume and texture. The fruits...
Chen was well-traveled and often painted the people she met and places she visited. Around 1960-61, Chen went on a painting trip to the east coast of Malaysia. East Coast Vendor depicts a Malaysian rambutan seller with two children, dressed in colourful local costume. Bathed in strong tropical sunlight, the...
Song of Cicada is Chua’s most complex work on the use of symbolic space. The patches of ink represent drifting leaves in an expanse of empty space which serves as a space of imagination where the viewer is invited to imagine and envision experience from within the painting. Physical dimensions of...
Winter Landscape is an early work of Yeo’s prefiguring important aspects of his later oeuvre: colour and abstraction. The image also encapsulates landscape, which became an important aspect of Yeo’s later work, reflecting his fascination with travel and places. Physical dimensions of original: 1260 x 1000 mm....