Last Lap Go Go Go SoVA PDF

Disclaimer: Hi besties, i'm not gonna add much visual appearance notes except certain non-2D or VA-heavy works, bc most can just EOA POD and bull something so here's EOA POD for urs and my reference lolol +++ all answering tips + periods etcetc will...

Disclaimer: Hi besties, i'm not gonna add much visual appearance notes except certain non-2D or VA-heavy works, bc most can just EOA POD and bull something so here's EOA POD for urs and my reference lolol +++ all answering tips + periods etcetc will be BELOW Duchamp’s content EOA (elements of art) POD (principles of design) 1. Line 1. Emphasis 2. Shape 2. Balance 3. Value 3. Alignment 4. Form 4. Contrast 5. Space 5. Repetition 6. Texture 6. Proportion 7. Colour 7. Movement Ng Eng Teng BIOGRAPHY: Art Movement: Modern Singaporean Art Influences: Modernism, Abstract Art Ng’s sculptures are mainly inspired by the human figure. His works range from iconic (memorable) public sculptures to whimsical (unusual, creative, etc) representations of the human forms. His simplified yet exaggerated forms display his ability to communicate in imaginative and at times surprising ways. - Driven by modifications to human anatomy, through the use of simplification, exaggeration, elimination suppression or enlargement - his works take on a biomorphic, curvaceous and sculptural form, incorporating domestic implements such as pipes and pots - searches for self-expression - usually approaches his artwork, themes, with variation until he is satisfied with the form PHILOSOPHY (if any) Art should encompass substantive subject matter INFLUENCE(s) - NAFA by Georgette Chen (strong foundation in drawing and painting, creates drawings as distillation of ideas through form and design, helped Ng test proportion and balance) - Pottery training in the UK (formal training in clay and pottery, enhanced his earnestness to pursue the ceramics art form) - Art classes at Liu Kang’s “Morrow Studio” (learned pastel drawing and oils) - Jean Bullock (Introduced to ciment fondu) Wealth VISUAL APPEARANCE - Female with exaggerated proportions balanced on its enlarged bottom - Perched on a raised column, high up and unperturbed, nothing within immediate proximity - Woman adorned a dress with elaborate tapering trimming of design that suggests association with indigenous culture - Subject matter moulded and sculpted form of elongated neck and heavy bottom suggests nobility, elegance and gentility - Lower torso + legs do not follow human anatomical proportions, they appear constructed from geometric pottery shapes that are of decreasing sizes that taper at the feet - Torso is largely simplified into a crescent form, but still recognisable as human - Biomorphic organic shape simplified to its essence - Hands on her tummy, staring at her feet in deep contemplation - TECHNIQUE & MEDIUM medium: - Ciment Fondu: inexpensive, expressive, lightweight, humble - CONTRASTS subject matter which has gilded finish - Contrast suggests symbolism in portraying nation’s humble beginnings as it achieves prosperity - Finished with a coat of paint followed by a layer of lacquer, make the sculpture durable and only infrequent maintenance is required - Making it a practical media as could easily fill in any chips or cracks and repair his sculptures anytime technique: - Sculpture has been finely balance on a relatively slender column - The visual weight distribution suggests that for one to obtain wealth, they would need to keep their head up high, symbolising the nation’s efforts to keep abreast of economic challenges ahead - Facial features rendered in detail, other parts of the body are simplified or removed as they only add value by providing structural support and balance to the composition - Before creating the work, Ng creates clay maquettes to consider the poses and forms INTENT/IMPACT/SIGNIFICANCE - Ng borrowed the connotation of elegance by portraying wealth as a well endowed female, presented in a pose that had been inspired by yoga - The sculpture was commissioned by DBS to celebrate the country’s prosperous growth  - Apart from which, the sculpture is part one of two (Wealth and Contentment) to depict wealth as something that is not defined not only by material but also in intangible pursuits - He aims to portray the ‘look’ of wealth as a poised and composed individual with a buoyant outlook Significance: - This work reveals how his unconventional art education and varied experiences with sculptural media (such as ciment fondu) Influence: - Human figure remains Ng’s principal source of inspiration, Batak Girl Visual Appearance - Subject matter head held high, giving off sense of confidence and pride - Holds a neutral expression, with hollow eyes alongside other well-defined facial features - The neck is elongated to Technique + Medium - Emphasised the fundamental nature of the sculptural act of making and shaping volume by manually working it up from the solid lump into the hollowed round, resulting in an immediate and vivid sculpture - Worked directly onto the material to leave imprint of the artist’s hand without transforming the nature of the medium - Uses additive approach of building up, shaping and modelling which allowed for reworking until he was satisfied - Left the inherent colour of Ciment Fondu to let the material shine  Intent, Impact, Significance - Pay tribute to the Batak culture, let people know more about them Chua Mia Tee BIOGRAPHY: Art Movement: Social Realism Influences: Realism, Socialist Realism PHILOSOPHY (if any) - 真善美 (zhen shan mei), He believes that an artist has a greater purpose to reflect the truth, inspire others and reflect the beauty of life around them in their art, and aimed to portray truth, virtuosity, and beauty - "The painter assumes the role of scriptwriter, director and actor to freely shape the subject's image.” INFLUENCE(s) - inspired by his father to pursue art and first studied art under the tutelage of renowned artist Chen Chong Swee. - He has cited Xu Beihong, Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt as artists who inspire him. National Language Class Visual Appearance - Capturing a pivotal moment in Singapore’s history when the nation was striving for self-governance and national identity - The painting depicts a Malay teacher instructing a group of Chinese students, symbolising the effort to unite different ethnic groups through a common language. - Realistic and detailed portrayal of the entire scene - Cramped classroom, the detailed expressions of the students, and the words on the blackboard ("What is your name? Where do you live?") - contribute to a narrative of cultural integration and national consciousness - The round table around which the students sit signifies equality and collective learning, reflecting the socio-political context of 1959 Singapore. - Use of social realism and his academic approach to detail immerse the viewer in the historical and cultural significance of the scene - Emphasising the shared aspirations and identity of the young nation. Technique + Medium Oil on canvas - Most competent medium in capturing details - Allowed Chua to stay true to his art principles: - Truth/likeness, Virtuosity, serve society - Increase aesthetic persuasiveness Technique: - Naturalistic representation  - Style of portrayal is filled with VERISIMILITUDE (appearance of being true/real) - Technical dexterity shows mastery of representation - Photorealism, borderline hyperrealism Chiaroscuro (light-dark balance) - High contrast adds layers of believability and likeness by rendering forms to high clarity - Dramatisation transforms mundane moments into scenes of pathos Intent, Impact, Significance Intent Connection to real-world context and SG’s people - Chronicler to SG’s significant and historic moments - Art should be grounded in reality, relevant to social conditions of the depicted milieu (social environ) - Offers an easily accessible point of reference for the viewer - Desired art as a vehicle for social change - invoke Malayan consciousness towards path of independence Impact Cultivate National Identity through art - Rejected formalist and newer “Western” trends which were regarded as going against train of development of national identity in art - Chronicling the zeitgeist (spirit of time) Embody fervent (intense passion) aspirations of SG’s working class for independence Workers in a Canteen Visual Appearance - “Workers in a canteen” by Chua belongs to the Social Realism movement, showing ‘snapshots’ of reality in society, especially the struggles and life experiences of the working class. - The painting depicts a realistic daily scene of workers (in similar uniforms) eating at a crowded canteen and interacting with their peers. - The tables look packed with hardly any empty seats, suggesting that it could be breaktime or lunch hour for the workers. - To guide the viewers’ eyes into the scene, the artist painted two long rows of tables (see diagram) arranged diagonally across the canvas with the workers in the foreground (nearest to viewers) on the bottom right corner of the canvas. - On the table in the foreground, the empty bowl, small, scattered rice grains beside the bowl, the hastily placed chopsticks and the empty paper with remnants of food seem to suggest that the food was eaten - In the middle of the foreground, a worker was depicted leaning forward diagonally, with his left arm placed over the shoulder of his co-worker sitting beside him. His body posture suggested that he could be leaning forward to talk and listen to his peers at the table. His diagonal body then led the viewers’ eyes to the worker standing up in front of him in the middle ground, with his right arm stretched out. - At this middle ground level, the viewers eyes are then led towards another standing worker in cap facing the viewers in Box A (see red arrow). Another worker just below this worker was also facing the viewers, capturing the viewers’ attention to this part of the canvas. - A warm color scheme is used here, with both the tables and the workers’ uniforms in yellow-ochre and sepia-tinted tones. These earthy colors evoke a sense of warmth and nostalgia. The stalls and walls in the background are of cool colors of dark blackish and blue-grayish tones. - Overall, it is a lively scene in which we see ordinary working-class workers in their everyday routine of having conversations and interacting with one another during their break. The realistic and naturalistic painting style and the cropped composition invite the viewers into the scene, making the viewers feel like they are at the scene itself, witnessing a moment in the hard lives of these workers. Technique + Medium Medium: - Chua chose to use oil on canvas to depict this realistic canteen scene as the media allows one to work slowly on the details and expressions of people. - The versatility in color range allowed Chua to render his subject matter in a naturalistic manner. - The use of warm yellow-ochre and sepia tinted color tones in this work and other paintings such as ‘National language class” is able to evoke a sense of warmth and familiarity to the scene, making the viewers feel close to the subject matter. Technique: - He used mostly the ‘alla prima’ technique in this work, painting wet layers of paint on top of existing wet layers of paint - This enables him to quickly capture the essence of the scene while attending to the light and dark of the subject matter to depict volume and give a naturalistic rendition.  - For example, white streaks of highlights are painted on the workers’ faces to define their cheekbones and facial features. - Chua could have learnt this ‘chiaroscuro’ (light-dark in Italian) technique from his studies of the western classical artists. - The strong contrast between the dark tones and the brighter warm tones to depict the workers faces and foreground scene created a sense of drama in the immediate scene in the foreground. - Chua’s attention to details, such as the workers’ varied expressions, the empty bowls, the grains of rice on the table, and the paper with remnants of food, show his strong observational and painting skills that enables him to portray his subject matter realistically. Process: - Chua often adopts a photorealistic composition and uses photographic principles such as cropping, depth of field and perspective. - His compositions suggest a sense of spontaneity and realism to the scene, making the viewers feel like they are at the scene itself. - He sketches and takes a lot of photos from location to compose his paintings, observing the lives of those around him first hand. - By arranging the canteen tables in a slanted direction, the viewers seem to be invited into the scene. - His skillful ability to arrange the different elements and apply principles of design in his compositions also helped to direct the viewers’ eyes to the different parts of the painting.  - The viewers’ eyes are led from the scene in the foreground at the bottom right of the canvas, to go along the tables to the middle ground with the two standing figures, before noticing the strong contrast in the background of the workers’ silhouettes against the construction scene (with crane) outside in the top right-hand corner of the painting. - In composing his paintings, he opined that the painter must assume the role of actor, scriptwriter, and director to freely shape the subject’s image. - He created ‘actors’ in his paintings caught in small dramatic moments that express virtues like camaraderie and empathy. - In the foreground, even though his face could not be seen, the slanted figure’s posture with his left arm placed across his co-worker’s shoulder and his body leaning forward seems to suggest that he is on good terms with his peers and is engaged in conversation with them. Intent, Impact, Significance - Chua Mia Tee is known for his social realist oil paintings capturing the social and political conditions of Singapore and Malaya in the 1950s and 60s. - As an artist with strong sentiments and aspirations for our nation, Chua’s works such as “Workers in a Canteen” and “National Language Class” (1959) document and reflect significant changes and milestones in Singapore’s history, such as Singapore’s rapid urbanization and industrialization and the adoption of Bahasa Melayu as the national language of Singapore.  - In this sense, his works help to reflect the evolving national identity of Singapore and its people René Magritte BIOGRAPHY: Art Movement: Surrealism Influences: Symbolism, Dada, Modern art Early Influences: Began as a commercial artist designing wallpaper and fashion ads. Used his mastery of realism to defy logic in his Surrealist work. - Magritte’s realistic juxtaposition of ordinary people and objects in unexpected contexts offer unusual perspectives and meanings of the world we live in. - His paintings often challenge the way we see things in an imaginative way. PHILOSOPHY (if any) AIM: - To use art as a means of revealing the hidden world of the unconscious. - An appeal for the freeing of the imaginative life from reason & social order INFLUENCE(s) - Giorgio de Chirico*** DAMN IMPORTANT TO KNOW (Magritte's key inspiration came from Giorgio de Chirico's work "Love Song." In 1923, he discovered this distinctive universe, which he continued to explore in his paintings. Familiar objects placed in an unfamiliar space, estranged from reality) The Human Condition Subject Matter A canvas stands on an easel in front of a view through a window. Canvas has a picture of what we assume to be the view. - A kind of optical illusion for the viewers— the landscape is both inside the room on the easel and out the window - *Illustrates the contradiction between three-dimensional space which objects actually  occupy and the two-dimensional plane of the canvas used to represent them. - Vagueness in the artwork— shows that something is at odds in the confrontation between real space and spatial illusion - Pun in the painting: Since the Renaissance, pictures had been purported to be ‘windows’ opening onto reality. - Easel and canvas are realistically painted. - Intensifies the question: is the landscape real or painted? - Hyper realistic painting style— dreamlike - Fine brushstrokes— well balanced, polished and well defined - Range of color palette— puts focus on landscape - Bright , natural colors— for landscape - Duller, dim colors— for the room - Magritte focused on showing that “a painting of a scene is not the same as the scene” - Use of perspective and depiction of space— to illustrate how perspective transform the painting into something that is both ‘there’ and ‘not there’ Technique + Medium - Dedicated to the techniques of surrealism, Magritte used traditional drawing techniques like chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. Magritte also used a unique technique of applying paint in thick and crusty layers. - Contradiction between 3D(the actual landscape/reality) and 2D(what’s on the canvas) - Magritte combines one of his favored themes ‘window paintings’ and ‘picture in a picture’ - Reality is a matter of perspective - Tricks the viewer - Viewer 1st automatically assumes— the painting on the easel depicts the landscape hidden behind it accurately - Then questions— whether the landscape on the easel is a real representation of reality or not - Viewer are blocked from seeing the actual landscape being painted— only allowed to see what is painted on the easel - Therefore reality of what exists is accepted as an act of good faith or becomes a construct of the mind - Forces viewer to come to a new understanding of what they are looking at - After the scene outside the window is the same piece of painting as what is on the easel— there is no real scene behind the easel to be represent accurately or otherwise - Evokes a sense of discomfort within the mind— seeking out patterns when there aren’t any(Magritte exploits this) Intent, Impact, Significance Intent: - Heavily influenced by the writings of Immanuel Kant, Who proposed that “humans can rationalize situations but cannot comprehend the things in themselves” - “I placed in front of a window a painting representing exactly that part of the landscape hidden from view by the painting. So the tree in the painting obscured the tree behind it outside. It existed for the spectator simultaneously in his mind and outside in the real landscape. This is how we see the world -- as being outside ourselves, even though it is only a mental picture of what we experience inside ourselves Personal Values Visual Appearance + SM - The alteration of scale and proportion but maintaining perspective and laws of gravity - Using the structure of a room in one-point perspective to ground the subject matter in reality and place the viewer ‘in the room’ - Straight wooden-coloured floorboards leading towards the vanishing point - Pictorial balance of objects throughout the room Technique + Medium - Oil paint to allow for maximum manipulation to paint individual objects realistically but place them together in uncanny and strange ways - Well-blended and smooth brushstrokes to mimic reality, making objects immediately recognizable and deceptively normal - Metaphysical Painting - Presented an alternative reality that communicates with the Unconscious by dislocating objects from the real world and presenting them in incongruous/absurd relationships. Intent, Impact, Significance - ”Here, the artist presents a room filled with familiar things, but he gives human proportions to these formerly unassuming props of everyday life, creating a sense of disorientation and incongruity. Inside and out are inverted by his rendering of a skyscape on the interior walls of the room. The familiar becomes unfamiliar, the normal, strange; Magritte creates a paradoxical world that is, in his own words, "a defiance of common sense."  Pablo Picasso BIOGRAPHY: Art Movement: Cubism Influences: Post-Impressionism, African Art, Symbolism Many major art periods lol - Blue Period (1901 to 1904) - Rose Period (1905-1906) - Cubism (1907-1925) - Neoclassicism to Surrealism (1921-1937) PHILOSOPHY (if any) - Art is a lie that makes us realise the truth - Rejected the inherited concept that art should copy nature, or that artists should adopt the traditional techniques of perspective, modelling, and foreshortening INFLUENCE(s) - Paul Cézanne (believed in breaking down objects into their most basic shapes, which often resulted in his pieces having a geometric quality to them) - Henri Rousseau (naïve style and imaginative vision) - Traditional African art (moved by shapes, lines, and angles of the African masks that he famously declared that he learned what painting is really about) The Greedy Child (Le Gourmet) Visual Appearance - Sombre mood and introspective subject matter; the young girl is tipping her bowl to scale out a last morsel of food (Shown with just the barest of necessities, a nearly empty bowl, a mug and a scrap of bread on the table) - Emphasised curving outline by reinforcing with thick brush strokes - Simplified shapes, flattened background, skewed perspective; Created a patterned effect that suggests this scene is remove from the everyday world - Pervasive blue tonality overpowering every other colour; Sense of unreality is greatly heightened - In juxtaposition to this, the expression on the child’s face is one of determination and absorption in the moment. - Composition is intimate and closely framed; Centering child and the bowl - child’s figure is rendered with tender, delicate lines, occupying the majority of the canvas, drawing viewer’s attention directly to the act of reaching for the food - Simplicity of the scene and focus on child’s gesture is further emphasised by the sparse and subdued background - Certain hues of brown (hair, bread) emphasises the girl’s surroundings, Suggests humble conditions Technique + Medium Intent, Impact, Significance - "Le Gourmet" can be seen as a reflection of family life during Picasso’s Blue Period, which was marked by economic hardship and social issues. The painting captures the essence of a child’s basic need for food, a universal and timeless  aspect of family life, but the desperate reach for the bowl also hints at scarcity and the struggles faced by families to provide for their children. - During the early 20th century, many families in Europe, especially in urban areas, faced economic difficulties and high rates of poverty. Picasso’s portrayal of a hungry child reaching for food can be interpreted as a commentary on these harsh realities. It reflects the vulnerability of children and the strain on family units to meet basic needs amidst broader social and economic challenges. - Furthermore, the intimate, domestic setting of the painting, despite its simplicity, underscores the importance of family bonds and the parental role in nurturing and providing for their children. The emotional resonance of the painting speaks to the universal concerns of family life, making it a powerful reflection of the human condition during a time of widespread hardship. Guernica Visual Appearance 1. Distorted Perspective - Creates a sense of chaos - No single vanishing point; space appears fragmented, Figures are depicted from multiple angles simultaneously - enhances the feeling of confusion and turmoil. 2. Overlapping Forms - Creates a dense composition - Overlapping enhances the crowded and chaotic feel of the scenes - Blurs the distinction between foreground and background - Adds to the sense of movement and dynamic between elements 3. Flatness and Depth - Flattens space by using a limited range of tonal contrasts - Flatness contrasts with the occasional use of shading to suggest depth, creating a tension in the composition that reflects the surreal and disorienting nature of the scene. 4. Fragmentation - Space is fragmented into geometric shapes and planes - Reflects the shattered reality of the bombing of Guernica, adding to the sense of horror and destruction 5. Monochromatic Palette - Lack of colour emphasises the sombre and tragic nature of the subject  - Creates a stark and powerful visual impact, reflecting the bleakness and horror of war - May represent/influenced by Picasso’s initial encounter with the photos and news reports of the bombing of Guernica via articles in the newspapers. 6. Contrast and Tone - Strong contrasts between light and dark areas - Sharp tonal contrasts highlight the dramatic and violent elements. - Areas of intense black juxtaposed with stark white create a sense of urgency. - Tonal variation adds depth and dimension to the figures and objects. - Enhances the emotional intensity of the scene. 7. Texture - Body of horse looks like texture of newsprint, inspired by the news articles of Nazi Germany bombing Guernica Subject Matter - The overall scene is within a room - The darkness of the background despite the light and candle on the top central part of the work creates an atmosphere of confusion and lost; as if the figures are confined in a void-like space, an emptiness - Besides geometric shapes, Picasso used curves, exaggerated and unrealistic proportions (I.e elongated necks, oversized feet, disfigured/caricature faces) to create a sense of unfamiliarity and a kind of strangeness that eventually turns to horror within the viewers - The irregular anatomy and shapes of the figures adds to the sense of hysteria - At the open end on the left, a wide-eyed bull with a flaming tail stands over a woman grieving over a dead child in her arms - The bull is a crucial Spanish figure and symbol for matador culture, symbolising how the bull is seen as “the beast” and powerful, aggressive, and how taming the bull is like overcoming yourself - At the centre, there is a horse falling in agony as if it had just been run through by a spear - Large gaping wound in the horse’s side is a major focus of the painting as the horse symbolises nobility yet a piece of burden (since horses bring people around and delivers stuff) - Contrast with the Bull on the left, one is an unstoppable force that destroys everything while the other is a force that helps people a lot - Various Subverted Catholic and Christian religious motifs  - Under the horse, there is a dead and dismembered soldier, with his hand on a severed arm grasping a shattered sword from which a flower grows from it. His other hand on the bottom left of the painting is an open palm, containing a stigma that is a symbol of martyrdom derived from the stigmata of Christ Light bulb within the all-seeing eye Blazes in the shape of an evil eye; resembling a bare bulb that was frequently used in a torturer’s cell) Intended symbolism is based on the spanish word for lightbulb; BOMBILLA which is similar to BOMBA (bomb) Screaming man on the right, wailing mother on the left, chaos in centre Shrouds the viewer within a scene of hopelessness, evoking despair and sadness within the viewer Technique + Medium Technique: - Picasso painted ideas of death and dying, portraying the emotion of the figures showing sadness and loss in their expression. - The composition seemed to drive our eyes to adjust to the frenetic action, and figures began to emerge. - As Picasso was Spanish, he was commissioned by the newly elected Spanish Republican government to paint an artwork for the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 Paris World’s Fair. - The official theme of the Exposition was a celebration of modern technology. Yet Picasso painted an overtly political painting, a subject in which he had shown little interest up to that time because he wanted to show the reality of the crisis that Spain was facing. - In 1937 Picasso published Guernica as a way of showing his disapproval of war.  - Guernica’s composition appears confusing and chaotic; the viewer is thrown into the midst of intensely violent action. Everything seems to be in flux. - The space is compressed and ambiguous with the shifting perspectives and multiple viewpoints characteristic of Picasso’s early Cubist style. - Images overlap and intersect, obscuring forms and making it hard to distinguish their boundaries. Bodies are distorted and semi-abstracted, the forms discontinuous and fragmentary. Everything seems jumbled together, while sharp angular lines seem to pierce and splinter the dismembered bodies. - However, there is in fact an overriding visual order. Picasso balances the composition by organising the figures into three vertical groupings moving left to right, while the centre figures are stabilised within a large triangle of light. - A tapestry copy of the painting is displayed on the wall of the UN building in New York City. They symbolise the meaning of the artwork and message as a reminder to the UN on the gruesome results of war. INFLUENCE OF CUBISM: - Analytical Cubism phase, MEDIUM: - Specially ordered house paint that had a minimum amount of gloss, causing a matte and raw finish to the work, increasing the dramatic effect of the painting  Intent, Impact, Significance Intent: - Picasso painted Guernica as a response to the bombing of Guernica, a Basque Country village in northern Spain, by German and Italian warplanes at the request of the Spanish Nationalists. Significance: - Subject Matter is Guernica – the suffering of the town of Guernica, the people and animals of Guernica. - Through Guernica: Picasso shows how art can contribute to self-assertion and how self-assertion frees the individual and protects him against larger-than-life forces such as political crime, war, and death Frida Kahlo BIOGRAPHY: Art Movement: Surrealism, Mexican Modernism Influences: Mexican Folk Art, Symbolism, Realism - Kahlo was also influenced by indigenous Mexican culture, which is apparent in her use of bright colours, dramatic symbolism and primitive style. Christian and Jewish themes are often depicted in her work. She combined elements of the classic religious Mexican tradition with surrealist renderings - Mexican culture and Amerindian cultural tradition are important in her work. - Drawn from personal experiences, including her marriage, her miscarriages, and her numerous operations, Kahlo's works are often characterised by their suggestions of pain. PHILOSOPHY (if any)  - She believed in the power of self-expression as a means of healing and understanding. Her art was a reflection of her innermost thoughts and emotions, and she used it as a vehicle to convey her pain, her identity, and her connection to the world. INFLUENCE(s) - Henri Rousseau (Emphasise matrimonial bonds as the foundation of the family unit) My Dress Hangs There Subject Matter - My Dress Hangs There, 1933, was set amidst the skyscrapers of New York, ridicules the modern American obsession with sport and sanitation by placing a golf trophy and a toilet joined by a blue rope, both on top of classical columns. - The traditional Mexican Tehuana dress, which Kahlo took to wearing soon after she married Rivera is the focal point of the painting. Upper Half & Background of the painting: - Her representation of the iconic Statue of Liberty, Federal Hall, skyscrapers and factories which were seen as symbols of wealth and freedom. - The Statue of Liberty poses as a satirical reminder of what the United States was meant to stand for, the land of freedom and a place where everyone could start a new life of wealth and luxury. Lower Half & Foreground of the painting: - The squalor in the foreground portrays a diverse impression of a city of decay, depravity, alienation, and destroyed human dignity. - Her appropriated photographs of Depression-era unemployment juxtapose "reality" with the "made-up" painting and thereby highlight the vulgar display of American wealth and well-being as opposed to the poverty and suffering of the lower classes. - There is a multitude of endless bleak, blank and anonymous office blocks and skyscrapers. One of the buildings forms a perch for an oversized telephone, the cord of which links the other blank  buildings, highlighting the impersonal nature of the capitalist society. In the top centre of the painting: - stands Federal Hall is Kahlo’s symbol of capitalism. Her leftist distaste for Manhattan as the centre of capitalism and capitalism is expressed in the following manner - The steps of Federal Hall are presided over by a statue of George Washington, a representative of the idealism of the past. Instead of a set of marble stairs Kahlo has pasted a sales graph showing ‘Weekly Sales in Millions’, which is juxtaposed with a collage effect at the bottom of the canvas. In the top left of the painting: - In the window of the church a red ‘S’ transforms the crucifix in to a dollar sign thus throwing more bad light upon the church which is meant to stand for the poor and the downtrodden in society and not a vehicle for mammon worship - Alongside the church is another representation of false values, a billboard of Mae West, an actress, who brings up connotations of vanity and luxury. - To the artist her appeal is ephemeral; however, the edges of the billboard are peeling and the buildings below her are burning. Another indication of the decay and rotting state of affairs in this supposed paradise where many came to seek their fortunes. Visual Appearance Whole painting: Radial Layering Symmetry Aerial Perspective Foreground: patch work Background: Linear Perspective Technique + Medium - Masonite is a type of hardboard made of steam-cooked and pressure-moulded wood fibres. Intent, Impact, Significance - After more than three years in America, Frida wanted desperately to return to her native Mexico because she found herself marooned in an alien culture. She began to see city life was not all that glamorous as many thought it to be. - But her husband, Diego remained fascinated by the country and his popularity kept him in America - An ironic portrait of American capitalism and superficiality. - Filled with symbols of a modern American industrial society, it points to social decay and the destruction of fundamental human values. - By adopting the regional costume, she was expressing her burgeoning sense of her own national identity, which at that time was rediscovering its pre-Columbian and indigenous heritage. - Being in that alien culture made her even more conscious of her own rich culture which she chose to hold on to even more by adopting the traditional dress in order to set herself apart even more from the culture that many immigrants were doing. - By hanging her dress empty, Kahlo is making the statement that while she was living in the United States, her heart was not in it; she wanted nothing to do with the capitalist society there. She would usually paint herself as the focal point. Significance - The disparities she shows in the composition of this work shows the great contrast in reality of the urban myth - she criticises the capitalist nature of the American Society by silently commenting how wealth is the foundation to the country and beneath all that was depravity and squalor - This painting shows:  - much of her isolation, - her indomitable spirit and sense of self - powerful insights to national identity - plight of the poor - influence of technology - Mexico’s relationship with the US My Grandparents, My Parents and I Subject Matter My Grandparents, My Parents and I (Family Tree) by Frida Kahlo shows her German Jewish father and his parents and her Mexican mother and her parents, Frida’s parents and herself firstly as a foetus and then as a little girl. Kahlo placed the image of her parents, based on their wedding photograph, at the very centre of the painting, making them the focal point and at the same time stressing the importance of the matrimonial bond that gave her life The young Frida shown in the girl stands beneath them all in the Blue House or La Casa Azul (as it is sometimes known) where she grew up and this little girl holds the red ribbon that ties each of her family members together, representing their bloodline. - Kahlo suggests that her mother's role in her life was primarily that of the person who gave birth to her, in contrast to her deep and loving relationship with her father. On the left, we see her maternal grandparents of South American Indian and Spanish stock and on the other we are shown Frida’s paternal grandparents, of Austrian and Hungarian origin. There is a foetus in the womb with its umbilical cord from the woman’s waist and a depiction of a sperm and egg below it. This seems to suggest a relationship between the child with the foetus and the sperm and egg which then has a connection to the couple, her parents. The red ribbon suggests blood lines connecting her to her parents who are then connected to the old couples on either side of the painting On one side of the painting is the Mexico she knows and on the other is the sea in the distant horizon line emblematic of a far-away and unknown Europe. In the painting, Frida Kahlo expresses herself as the culmination of two cultures and heritages, her mother’s Mexican roots and her father’s German Jewish roots. She depicts herself as a naked girl in the family home, seemingly to present her understanding of her vulnerabilities. Kahlo's adaptation of a genealogical chart as the basis for her 1936 family tree relates to her father's German-Jewish identity, seen and understood against the political developments at that time. - In September 1935, the Nazi government established the Nuremberg laws, which prohibited intermarriage and promoted "racial purity.“ Kahlo used this idea of the genealogical chart in visual form to stress the opposite and celebrate her interracial origins. Hence, she was making a subversive statement reflecting her identification with her Jewish roots. Above the sea, she painted her German grandparents, who were Jewish and probably contributed to her concern with the Nazi regime. The sea symbolised the fact that they were from overseas and although part of her history, they were not part of Mexico, where she grew up and thrived. - She painted her maternal grandparents above the mountain terrain of Mexico. Technique + Medium - This art piece is done in the style of a retablo, painted with oil and tempera. - Kahlo collected eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Mexico retablos—small paintings on metal made to thank God or saints for curing illnesses and performing miracles—and adopted the medium as her own.  - These unique art forms are a hybrid of centuries old Catholic iconography and indigenous artistry, reflecting the historical, cultural and religious links between "old" and "new" worlds. - Henri Rousseau was her favourite modern painter and that My Grandparents, My Parents, and I was influenced by Rousseau's The Present and the Past. - Both Kahlo and Rousseau emphasise the matrimonial bond as the foundation of the family unit. Both artists include trees; perhaps symbolic of the family tree, and symmetrical compositions that portray personal identities and family relationships. - Both artists portray the self as a changing entity that evolves over time. - As she transformed the drawing into a painting, Kahlo added visual images that were inspired by Isaac Berliner's book of Yiddish poems, City of Palaces - Berliner's opening poem is devoted to the immigrant experience. Each stanza begins with the line "On this side of the sea," stressing the division between the land and the sea. The final stanza culminates in an evocative symbol: "On this side of the sea, My tree trunk is already deeply rooted in the land." - Kahlo depicts her own leg as a tree that is deeply rooted in her Mexican home. Intent, Impact, Significance She painted this as a rebellious reflection of her heritage when Hitler outlawed interracial marriage, standing proudly by her mixed German roots in defiance of Hitler's ideals. This reflection of her family tree represents pride in her mixed heritage and the fact that she is a part of the things that Hitler was against  Jeff Wall BIOGRAPHY: Art Movement: Conceptual Art, Contemporary Photography Influences: Surrealism, Cinematic Realism, Pictorialism - Canadian photographer, best known for his large-scale back-lit Cibachrome photographs PHILOSOPHY (if any) - The artist Jeff Wall has argued that there are two prominent myths about photography, ‘the myth that it tells the truth, and the myth that it doesn’t’. INFLUENCE(s) - Hokusai (compositions) - The emerging Conceptual art movement and its anti-capitalist creed: to decouple art from aesthetic and market value A Sudden Gust of Wind (After Visual Appearance Hokusai) Depicts flat, open landscape where four figures are frozen as they respond to the sudden gust of wind - Uses desaturated colours hinted with a sepia tone, giving it a nostalgic vintage effect in old photos. The figures are dressed in dark colours or neutral tones such that they fit in naturally to the setting. Unromantic nature of landscape reinforced by small structure made of corrugated iron in foreground No connection between the characters; two of the people wear smart city clothes, adding to the sense of displacement Just like in Hokusai’s print, the woman on the extreme left has her head concealed by her scarf  which has been blown around her face. A sheaf of papers in her hand has been dispersed by the gust and their trajectory across the landscape, over the centre of the image, created a sense of dynamic movement. The large colour photograph displayed in the light box enables viewers to see the monumental presentation at life size, and are able to examine the minor details on the work In Wall’s work, starting from the figure holding the sheaf of papers, the bending tree on the left (near the one-third point) and flying papers provide directional lines to guide the viewer's eyes to scan across the image from left to right. Technique + Medium Photographed actors outside his hometown, Vancouver, when similar weather conditions prevailed over five months - Much of Wall’s subject matter comes from things that Wall has witnessed, read, or heard in his own life. In this example, he takes inspiration from a classical work, and synthesises the essentials of photography with elements from other art forms—in a complex mode that he calls “cinematography.” He engaged actors and photographed different elements of the scene over a period of several months before he seamlessly collaged them together in digital post-production. This collaging of elements from a range of sources was standard practice for classical paintings. Wall echoes this technique through the digital manipulation to make photographic collages, thus questioning the authenticity/ reality of media photographs and images one sees in contemporary society. Collaged elements of photograph digitally to achieve desired composition  ○ Collaging elements was a standard practice in making classical painting ○ Resulting in a tableau which appears staged in manner of a classical painting, the seamless montage gives illusion of a real moment in time Creating photographs in a cinematographic (like capturing a moment in a story), painterly way (intentionally composing every aspect of the artwork, and paying attention to details, appearance and composition) - Wall’s piece is a wall sized photography piece placed in a backlit lightbox and it gives the viewer a sense of being present at the ‘scene’, almost like witnessing a drama through a window as it unfolds from a distance. He wants to thrust the viewers into the private lives and spaces of the people in the photographs, enabling them to experience a slice/ moment of urban life which they may not experience otherwise. - In Wall’s work, the scale of the photographs, along with the intense brightness of the images, commands the viewer's attention in the way that big, illuminated advertising signs do in modern life, from bus stops to billboards. This is reflective of contemporary life in which people are constantly exposed to and bombarded with advertisements, media footage and photos of all sorts. Intent, Impact, Significance Intent: Wall chose to use actors and artificial lighting to simulate the subtle tensions and narratives of urban life, investigating lives of people (urban life) and their living spaces in a staged manner (cinematographic) Uses modern-day items and scenes to compose his photographs but designs these compositional  elements in ways that clearly hint at earlier landmark artworks, showing reverence to both art history and to contemporary artistic interests in the same space. ○ Appropriated Hokusai’s work titled “Travellers Caught in a Sudden breeze Ejiri” ○ Relocating historical references in a contemporary context without necessarily retaining what might at first sight seem to be the key components Impact Wall uses technology extensively and is considered an innovative pioneer in reshaping conceptual photography, questioning the nature of a photographic 'truth.' Wall wanted the viewers to question what they see, especially photographs and images that are presented in the media and contemplate about urban life and the role of photography in contemporary society. A View from an Apartment Visual Appearance + SM - At almost 5 ½’ x 8’, the photograph approaches human scale. It’s as though the viewer could simply walk into the scene—or that the women in the image might walk out. - At first glance, this appears to be an ordinary genre scene. The large scale and striking detail draw the viewer closer to examine the image—the modern decor, the half-finished laundry, a cluttered coffee table. One woman walks forward while folding a cloth napkin; another pauses at a magazine page that’s momentarily caught her eye. - In the background, framed by the large picture window, is a panoramic view of Vancouver’s harbour just outside. Technique + Medium The artist gave his model a budget to furnish and live in the apartment, which he then photographed over several months. ○ He used digital editing to combine multiple shots to achieve the final image. ○ This creative process forces us to question the photograph’s value as an accurate record of the scene, and effectively demonstrates the artifice inherent to established traditions of art. Wall carefully composed the photograph to direct our gaze and frame key elements in the scene. The repeated diagonal lines of the television, the shelves above, and the basket below pull our eye to the standing woman. Her forward motion leads us to the sitting area, which, in turn, draws our attention up to the window and the view outside. Intent, Impact, Significance - Question the photograph’s value as an accurate record of the scene, and effectively demonstrates the artifice inherent to established traditions of art - Wall’s use of the apartment view to create a discourse on art’s illusionism finds a place within this important recurring theme in art history.  Nick Park BIOGRAPHY: Nick Park Art Movement: Animation, Stop-Motion Influences: Surrealism, British Humor, Classic Animation Park’s stories of social issues and concerns are told playfully through stop motion animation, HIs imagination, research and close observation of people allows him to create the characters successfully PHILOSOPHY (if any) - INFLUENCE(s) - Creature Comforts Subject Matter - Commentary on the animals’ living conditions in a zoo, presented in the form of an interview. - The voices of each character were performed by residents of both a housing estate and an old people’s home - In the film, there is a depressed gorilla, a Brazilian puma and a young hippopotamus who complained about the cold weather, poor quality of their enclosures and lack of space + freedom - By contrast, a tarsier and an armadillo praise their enclosures for the comfort and security they bring Technique + Medium Medium: Plasticine/Clay - Durable + Malleable, flexibility allows manipulation  of the material to express the character’s emotions, personality and allowed little adjustments within each frame shot to create sense of movement - Gives very organic, subtle human feel - Important for the audience to empathise with characters and story - Can manipulate them frame by frame Wire armature - Made to be fitted into clay puppet, allows animators to make minor adjustments without overly distorting character’s original position Technique: Stop-frame - Animation technique that records physically manipulated objects, creating illusion of movement - Each movement is captured with a camera and when it is played in a continuous sequence, the character come to life Pre-made expressions - Each character will have a pre-made expression/facial feature set, allowing animators to detach each part to allow a swift change in emotion whilst maintaining the basic structure of the face - Modelling tool/adhesive material will the be used to mask the join and smoothen the area Intent, Impact, Significance Intent: - In a way, that’s what Park was playing on in this film; the way the world had built those environments were pretty awful, but the animals, like people, tend to accept this in a kind of strange way  Inspiration: - Animal Magic (1962-1983), showed jovial and funny voice overs on how the animals would react to certain scenarios in the zoo Wallace and Gromit - A close shave Visual Appearance + SM Technique + Medium - Newplast Plasticine Intent, Impact, Significance Intent: Tang Da Wu BIOGRAPHY: Tang Da Wu Art Movement: Performance Art, Modern Singaporean Art Influences: Social Realism, Environmental Art, Dada PHILOSOPHY (if any)  - He believes that artists should introduce their experiences and perceptions to others—not with entertainment or decoration in mind, but in order to provoke thought. INFLUENCE(s) - Heroes, Islanders Subject Matter - Since 2003, the artist has been diligently capturing his impressions of islanders who inspire him. - For Tang Da Wu, real heroes and true stories are found in the faces of the anonymous – old ladies who collect scrap cardboard and metal, saving money for their grandchildren’s future, groups of young people "hanging out", hawkers and peddlers in corners of the island, forgotten or changed beyond recognition. - He immortalises these people in his works, the depictions challenging viewers to look beyond certain stereotypes. - The encounter between such individualistic personalities with the idiosyncratic style of an artist such as Tang Da Wu results in paintings full of surprising forms and mysterious signs. - He inspired by real people, he did a few interviews from people in a village to gain insights to real stories, but chose not to represent the real faces of the people but rather focused on the impression Technique + Medium - Tang uses Chinese ink to depict the individuals in his artwork in a more abstract and contemporary manner. - The contrasting and layered ink washes give depth and reality to his characters, while strongly caricatured features add power and pathos. - His dark, sometimes brutish, often humorous pictures challenge viewers to find in these people something beyond the idealised and the stereotypical. - Painting method is similar to that used in traditional Chinese Calligraphy, inspired by aesthetic representation close to his Chinese roots so he used traditional Chinese calligraphy ink - However this work does not have the precious/expensive look of traditional Chinese calligraphy paintings’ - Not done with finesse, but rather a lot of action and energy - Da Wu’s work is a commentary on the identity of the individuals that form Singapore beyond those who are prominent. He portrays the unknown and ordinary citizens. Intent, Impact, Significance Intent: - Tang is prominent figure in the Southeast Asian art scene known for his bold and provocative artworks that engage with social and political issues - Deeply influences by cultural and environmental landscape of the region - Explore themes of identity, belonging - Tang recorded contemporary stories from a Singapore that a few saw from the outside, into a form of history which may be otherwise lost - He saw a lot of indigenous people being displaced - How these people weren’t being honoured as they were “unglamorous”  - To Tang, the real heroes of SG were found in the faces of the anonymous, hence he wanted to dignify these native dwellers who may have been forgotten - Tang further seeks to interrogate the complexities of Singapore’s human condition - Invites viewers to reflect on their own place in the world and the forces that shape their lives - His work serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring power of art to provoke thought, inspire change and foster empathy Tiger's Whip Visual Appearance + SM - White colour: spirit/ghost-like representation of the tiger spirit of the death - The tigers do not have stripes so as to show the innocence of the tigers being killed for their body parts. - Paper tiger; IDIOM for at first dominant but actually powerless (cultural place) - It is a performance art which involves the carrying of the tiger around chinatown. - The rocking chair showed that the tigers were killed to satisfy the traditional sayings of the people mostly taking place in Chinatown, also where his performance takes place. - Red cloth: symbolises blood from the castration of the tiger’s penis - Rocking chair: - has a piece of paper with phallic shape on it - represents the older generation - Tiger: looking over the chair sheepishly, looking for his castrated body part The title itself, Tiger's Whip, is a reference to the illegal trade of tiger parts, particularly for medicinal use, which brings attention to both the exploitation of wildlife and the commodification of nature. Technique + Medium - Tiger's Whip is an installation piece, a form of art that typically uses mixed media and transforms the perception of a space. Tang Da Wu arranges objects and materials in a way that creates a narrative or evokes emotion, drawing the viewer into the commentary the piece is making. - using wire mesh and white linen for the tiger, posed on an antique Chinese rocking chair to strike a connection between Chinese traditions and the plight of the species. - Tang often incorporates performance into his installations, and Tiger's Whip can be seen as a form of social performance as well. The work invites reflection on cultural practices and the role of the artist in making viewers confront uncomfortable realities. - Found Objects: Tang Da Wu often incorporates found objects into his installations. In Tiger's Whip, he uses everyday items or materials that are symbolic of traditional Chinese medicine and animal poaching. These objects become metaphors for human exploitation of nature. - Creates a sense of movement, rocking the chair rhythmically, symbolising a timer till they go extinct. Tiger is posed pouncing on the chair, aggressively mourning the mutilation of its genitals. - Red cloth is draped to signify the tiger's virility. Red imprint of a penis on the seat. A threat?  Intent, Impact, Significance Intent: The artist's main intention of the work was to highlight the plight of the endangered tigers which were hunted down for their genitals due to the Chinese superstition that they make a powerful aphrodisiac. The artwork was to protest against man's contribution to the extinction of the endangered species. Also to provoke his audience to think about the social issue. - Highlight the plight of endangered tigers - Poaching of animals in asia was a result of culturally-driven consumerism - Tang was a provocateur and wanted to invite people for a pedagogical process to transpire the audience Georgette Chen BIOGRAPHY: Art Movement: Nanyang Style, Post-Impressionism Influences: Impressionism, Fauvism, Chinese Art Nanyang Artist who painted local subject matters in post-impressionist style PHILOSOPHY (if any) - She did not believe in mere imitation of appearance but rather: Integrated spirit, form, and emotion into her work - Showed a clear influence of Chinese ink paintings - This approach adds dynamism, movement, and visual interest: Makes the static image appear dynamic - INFLUENCE(s) - Portrait of Eugene Chen Visual Appearance - Colours show sensitivity to the subject who is in a melancholic mood or deep in thought. - Muted tones compliment the heavy nature or atmosphere of the work - The male figure is painted with dull colours that bring out the seriousness of the male figure - Draws focus to the book Eugene is reading by painting it red, standing out among the dull and earthy colours Year: 1940. Medium: Oil on canvas. Subject Matter: Size: 92 x 91.5cm. - Composition is dominated by the male figure, Eugene Chen, who is sitting on the armchair. An eminent diplomat and a scholarly figure, this painting portrays Chen’s husband as a serious and dignified gentleman. - Eugene was the Foreign Minister to the Republic of China - Eugene is seated on a simple cane chair, appearing to disregard material comforts in search of higher intellectual concerns. - He appears wrapped up in thought, gazing into the distance, perhaps contemplating on the book he just read Technique + Medium - Chen is primarily an oil painter, trained in Western art theory and technique at the School of Paris. - Chen’s technique is a combination of French and Chinese artistic concerns and approaches. She combined Western styles and influences with Asian traditions and subject matter - Chen’s paintings show a strong influence of the post-impressionist styles of Van Gogh in terms of color, brushstrokes and composition. - ‘Portrait of Eugene Chen” manifests many of Van Gogh’s concerns and techniques. - I.e basic design of the portraits appear candid and possess the immediacy of snapshots Intent, Impact, Significance - Expression of Personal Relationship + Subject’s status in society - The painting shows the understanding of Georgette’s feelings towards Eugene through the painting. - Chen was concerned with conveying the essence of her subject, capturing elements of eugene’s personality. - Chen chose to depict her husband in an intimate manner, dressing modestly with a long sleeve shirt and dark pants; with a scarf wrapped around his neck. - The background is plain and simple, suggesting a humble lifestyle - while his relaxed pose tells us that the relationship between Chen and her husband is very intimate, making the viewers feel intrusive Phoenix Eyes Subject Matter: - the subject in this work are phoenix eyes fruits arranged inside + around an intricately woven open basket and on a bluish-green tableware - this still-life arrangement is placed on top of a wooden table - the bright red pods are cracked open revealing black seeds within as though they are phoenix's eyes awakening - they appear ripe and ready to be eaten - these bright fruits are juxtaposed against a rustic interior the window frames and wooden wall panels in the background - a frying spatula hanging vertically above the basket Visual Appearance: - the setup suggests that the artist had painted this still life in a humble home kitchen - painted this in a naturalistic manner as seen by the use of linear perspectives when painting the tables and the wooden panels - the use of shadows casted by the phoenix eye fruits on the table to suggest volume and the use of foreground and background to depict a sense of depth - this realistic rendering makes the painting accessible to the viewers drawing their attention to the visually intriguing phoenix-like fruits against the plain setting adding much value to them and suggesting that they are not just fruits that georgette found in her home that there is more than meets the eye The colours used in this work are naturalistic and warm:  - Bright reds and oranges for the fruits - Pinks to denote the surface of the table - Mixture of pale red, yellow, and green strokes for the background - Georgette used red and green for the background: - Complementary colours, adding vigour and visual interest - Created a strong contrast between the more saturated colours of the fruits and the desaturated background The composition features diagonal lines: - Seen in the wooden panels in the background + The tables in the foreground - Seemingly random placement of fruits - Black seeds in the fruits complement the black holes in the basket: - Create patterns and a sense of rhythm - Seeds are grouped into three groups forming a triangle Technique + Medium Influenced by Cezanne, a post-impressionist painter: Used discreet, methodical brush strokes Sculpted form rather than painting it Fusion of East and West Combination of French and Chinese, combining Western styles and influences with Asian traditions and subject matter Georgette used both pencil-thin delicate lines and bold deliberate ones: To delineate one form from another A style that mirrors Fauvist painters Fragmented lines for wooden surfaces: To denote rough textures  Influenced by Impressionist techniques of painting en plein air Techniques add a dynamic, lyrical, and vivacious atmosphere: Creates a warm and cozy atmosphere Adds life into the static scene Intent, Impact, Significance - Georgette loved to travel and used paint to capture the beauty of the everyday. - She took pleasure in the sensual qualities of what she encountered: the colours, textures, and forms. - During World War II, Georgette and her husband were placed under house arrest when the Japanese armies invaded China. - Trapped in an interior space, Georgette could only paint objects she had access to, such as: - Her husband's traditional wear - Local fruits and vegetables, including phoenix eye fruits - Constrained by limited subject matter, she chose to make the best of her situation: - Painted the fruits against a dull domestic setting - Displayed a sense of hope amidst dark, tumultuous times - Her choice of fruit could also stem from her culture: - Phoenixes are mythological birds of East Asia - Symbols of Asian Oriental beauty, high virtue, grace, and blissful relations between husband and wife - - Hence, painting the phoenix eye fruits might have been Georgette's subtle attempt to assert her  cultural identity during a time of occupation that destroyed her people. Liu Kang BIOGRAPHY: Art Movement: Nanyang Style, Modern Singaporean Art Influences: Post-Impressionism, Cubism, Fauvism PHILOSOPHY (if any) - Chinese contemplative philosophy and techniques of Chinese paintings INFLUENCE(s) - His work is influenced by Western artists like Cézanne and Gauguin, Eastern Chinese painting, and Southeast Asian batik art - MUST REMEMBER THIS::::: 1952 Iconic bali trip, with other emerging nanyang artists to see exotic balinese women + find inspiration for a “Nanyang art style” , INSPIRED BY GAUGUIN legendary trip to tahini - Artist and Model Subject Matter + Visual Appearance Work presents a scene in the outdoors - Man with straw hat on right of artwork is painting a woman wearing a traditional Sarong on the left - Sitting on Rattan chairs around a circular table which a red teapot rests with 2 teacups Surrounded by nature - Suggested by bushes of pink and yellow flowers - Blue mountain range in the background Artist focus - Artist intensely focuses on his canvas, as his right hand moves in a gestural manner, capturing the form of the woman in front of him  - Arched torso is mirrored by the woman, yet her pose is demurrer Model Focus - Rests her head on her left arm, right arm resting on right thigh - Eyes seem to be closes, as though she is quietly relaxing in a dainty and feminine manner to pose for the artist Artist + Model Focus altgt: - There is a clear contrast between these two figures - Model is half nude, covering her waist down with a patterned Sarong and adorned with 2 flowers on her braided hair (Traditional Balinese wear) - Contrasted with the artist’s Western attire: A straw hat, plain yellowish-white shirt and shoes - Contrast also seen in environment - Balinese patterned Sarong complements the natural scenery, mirroring her organic forms and flowery headdress - Male model’s Western attire complements the geometric man-made chairs, bag and tea-set - SHOWS 2 CONTRASTING JUXTAPOSITION OF TWO VERY DIFFERENT SOCIETIES AND CULTURES REFLECT THE UNION OF THE TRADITIONAL AND MODERN IN QUIET ENGAGEMENT*** - White outlines and bold colours resembles inspiration of Batik Paintings No details painted to create a realistic scene: - Figures’ eyes are merely short brushstrokes and their faces lack many details such as the form of their noses and folds of earlobes - Clouds are simplified to horizontal strokes of white paint Silhouettes of the Subject Matter and naturalistic colour scheme gives enough clues for the viewer to understand what they are looking at - Mountains are given enough jagged forms to suggest the mountain summits - Despite simplified style, Liu Kang still managed to capture the serenity and elegance of the scene - Captured through the sinuous (many curves) and gentle curved lines seen in the mountains, figures and furniture - Lines are undulating in a rhythmic manner, unifying the entire artwork as though the shapes and lines are gently dancing to paint a peaceful scene of a natural landscape Composition adopts the Western triangular arrangement, and the colour scheme mirrors the Western Fauvist style Technique + Process - Flat colours heavily outlined subject matter and simplified figurative forms to emphasise on subjective aesthetic qualities of the artwork rather than attempting to capture reality. - It also highlights the lyrical qualities of rhythmic line work that outlines the subject matter and decorative motifs that draw from japanese Ukiyo-e prince and islamic art - liu kang saw similarities between the focus style and the colourful rhythmic and flat qualities of batik art thus seizing the opportunity to blend these styles together - Fused influences of eastern chinese in painting the most revered chinese painting style  - these landscape paintings are called ShanShui (山水) paintings which means mountain and water associated with the taurus belief of the dynamic balance and harmony of the natural world land and water darkness and light - Inspired by Batik - known for their white outlines around their subject matter - an effect created when the wax applied on the cloth repels the coloured dye leaving the white coloured cloth untouched - When liu painted his subject matter, he did not paint their outlines leaving a white coloured canvas untouched - this creates a batik-like effect drawing attention to the bright flat colours that fill the subjects this is also an inverse of the Fauvist style Intent, Impact, Significance 1. Had a vision to create a new art style in Malaya - One that celebrated the various cultures and identities of different communities living there (strove for independence from the British) - Based on the union of Malayan subject matter, painted in eastern and western styles - Appropriated modern western art styles (Post-impressionism and Fauvism), fusing them with traditional Chinese ink techniques Life by the River Visual Appearance Compositional structure - Horizontal line is close to the top of the painting, resembling the common placement in Chinese SHANSHUI paintings - High horizontal line gives the “Birds’ Eye View” effect, HIGH VANTAGE POINT - Can focus more on the nature, humans are secondary - Adopted Asymmetrical balance from Chinese Ink Paintings - Create dynamic movement within the painting (attuned to philosophical idea of Yin and Yang in a state of flux) - Classical renaissance influence: TRIANGULAR COMPOSITION + LINEAR PERSPECTIVE form by bridge and river - Depicts space and create stability in the painting Brushwork: 写意 - Write the meaning and essence of subject matter - Shapes of subject matter is generalised to allow artist to express the expressions and emotions of the subject matter - Flat application of paint and clear outlines Technique + Medium - Liu Kang’s work exemplifies the merging of Eastern and Western art styles, creating a rich dialogue between the two. This blend captures the essence of Southeast Asian life and landscapes. - The high horizon line in the composition reflects traditional Chinese ShanShui painting techniques, allowing viewers to see the scene  from a heavenly vantage point, reinforcing nature’s dominance. - The small, stylized human figures draw attention to the environment, embodying the idea that individuals are part of a larger ecological system, contrasting with Western art’s focus on unique identities. - Utilizing asymmetrical balance, the painting reflects the philosophical concept of Yin and Yang, suggesting a harmonious coexistence of contrasting forces in nature and life. - The calligraphic quality of Liu Kang’s brushwork emphasises spontaneity and emotion, allowing the viewer to sense the energy and vitality of the villagers without detailed representation. - The vivid color palette reveals influences from post-impressionism, particularly from artists like Paul Gauguin, enhancing the tropical vibrancy of the scene and evoking emotional resonance. - The triangular composition and linear perspective create a sense of stability and depth, reflecting classical Renaissance influences while maintaining an Eastern aesthetic. Intent, Impact, Significance 1. Create a style that is uniquely Singaporean 2. Capture rural Singaporean scenes which were disappearing due to rapid industrialisation - Immortalising them on canvas would remind future Singaporeans of their past and how they should continue the spirit of togetherness  Affandi BIOGRAPHY: - Art Movement: Expressionism - Influences: Fauvism, Impressionism, Javanese Art He is a self-taught man. He often paints in a very unorthodox way. But how he paints, and what he thinks of art and life in general is perhaps best told in his own words: “I am not clever and I am afraid to read books, so all the work I have done is based on emotion and intuition. When I want to work, I have to observe the subject … … just to feel the atmosphere, the life of the café. I do not make sketches. I use only my feelings and my eyes to observe the subject. After one week or sometimes after one month, and only if I find something in the subject, then I start painting there.” PHILOSOPHY (if any) - INFLUENCE(s) - Self-Portrait Visual Appearance His awareness of success and the fragility of his physical self is expressed clearly through the confidence in the fluid wavy lines and contrast in the colours used. 1. A dark tone colour palette is used that creates a contrasting effect. /visual contrast - A mix of primary colours (red and yellow) and secondary colour (green) are used; with a hint of brown and flesh undertones - face is made up of colours red and yellow instead of browns that represent skin tones - The emphasis on the subject matter is created by the contrast of the cool colours in the background and the warm colours of the face - Down-cast eyes and a mouth of broken teeth, - representing his ageing self (coloured lines) 2. Unfiltered representation of a self-portrait of Affandi - largely abstract but realistic to a certain extent as we can recognize Affandi’s face - It is also semi-abstract as Affandi ́s faces appear distorted due to the messy brushstrokes, but the facial features are still partially recognisable as a human 3. strong bold outlines are used to emphasise on the figure - facial features are visible 4. Wavy patterned brustrokes signify movement and energy - The brush strokes are fluid, wavy and dynamic. - A rough texture is created due to thickly applied paint by fingers. - The repetition of fluid and wavy brush strokes projects a sense of energy. He gazes directly at the viewer and exudes confidence Technique + Medium Technique: - 1. **Influenced By Post-impressionist artist like VanGogh an Expressionist artist such as Edvard Munch - His work is characterised by the expressive use of brushstrokes.  - - He distorts and paints his subject matter completely subjectively to evoke moods or ideas - 2. *Affandi Executed varied lines the form Curvilinear,wavy and fluid lines that vary in direction and thickness; lines expressive and varied in qualities. - The REPETITION of wavy lines is highly energetic. - Strong, bold outlines are used to emphasise on the main features while - the lines in the face are thin and curly. - lines intertwine and project a transient look when viewed together, ⇒ capturing the artist’s transition between different expressions and emotions. - 3. Affandi likes to paint Plein-air, (OUTDOOR on the spot) - He creates quick impressions and focuses on the big picture rather than the details. → spontaneous and immediate intuition results in expressionistic and emotionally resonant works - process as part of product → process-based - 4. Merges western styles and makes it his own Intent, Impact, Significance Intent: - Affandi proclaims that the subject he knows best is that of his own face; ugly and reminiscent of the dwarf Sukrasana - - He painted what he observed ⇒ often the reality of everyday struggles and life of ordinary people which was full of suffering. → **Contradicting the colonial perspectives of Bali and Indonesia as an idealised paradise - - In his self portrait, → dared to portray his physical flaws ⇒ inc. broken teeth, thinning hair,  downcast eyes – did not hide away imperfections, unfiltered view - - Affandi is inspired by many of the grim realities around him → creating works with subjects that are expressive rather than beautiful - Affandi expressed himself f