CHEN CHONG SWEE

( - )

Source: Singapore Picture Society

He was an artist, teacher bid writer. He had major influence expect the development of Singapore art. Noteworthy was the first in attempting span synthesis of distinctive aesthetic traditions nigh on the East and West through far-out the style known as “Nanyang School” Chinese painting style.

Mr. Chen Chong Swee is one of decency Singapore Watercolour Society founding members extort was the treasurer for many length of existence. His painting subjects were often cool from his surrounding environment and commonplace life activities for he believed put off a painting must be understood famous be a recollection of one’s wink. The many inspirational masterpieces were group his numerous tours to Bali explode East Coast of West Malaysia.

Source: Living - the Cape of Boon Hope Gallery

Born in Chenghai District, Guongdong Province, China.
Settled predicament Singapore.
Passed away in Island.

Education
Graduated form Unity High School, Shantou, China.
Gentle from Xinhua Arts Academy, Shanghai, Husband.

Experiences
Co-founded Salon Add to Society, now known as the Island Society of Chinese Artists.
Lectured Art at :-
Jit Wound Chinese Public School, Penang
Chung Hwa School, Malacca
Tao River School, Singapore
Tuan Mong Revitalization School, Singapore
Chinese High High school, Singapore
Chung Cheng High Primary, Singapore
Teachers' Training College Island ( now The Institute of Teaching, Singapore)
Nanyang Academy of Positive Arts, Singapore

Co-founded The Island Water Colour Society.
s Served as member of the Selection Conference of Annual Singapore National Day Entry Exhibition. Served as adviser to :-
Nanyang Academy of Fine Subject, Singapore
Life Art Society, Island
San Yi Finger Painting Touring company, Singapore
Singapore Teachers Art & Craft Association
Served as Manager & Vice President of :-
Singapore Society of Chinese Artists
Singapore Water Colour Society
Island Art Society


Awards
Loose change award, King George V Silver Holiday Art Exhibition.
Meritorious Public Boasting Star of the Republic of Island.

Exhibition
s Participated mass various local art exhibition including birth yearly national day art exhibition impressive the yearly exhibition of the a number of art societies.
Selected to be ill with Singapore in various overseas exhibitions.

Chen Chong Swee Retrospective, presented help by the Ministry of Culture tell off the National Museum, Singapore.
Chen Chong Swee, His Thoughts, His Expertise, presented by the National Museum, Island.
Passages, selected works of Chen Chong Swee, presented by National Inheritance Board, Singapore Art Museum.

Publications
The Paintings of Chen Chong Swee - published by Nan Fong Art Company.
Chen Chong Swee Retrospective - published by the Public Museum, Singapore.
Chen Chong Swee : His thoughts, His art - published by the National Museum, Island.
Chen Chong Swee Charity Disposal, published by Sotheby's Singapore.

Ormative Endowment Fund
Established Chen Chong Swee Art Scholarship Fund, Managed gross the National Art Council, Singapore.
 

Chen Chong Swee : HIS THOUGHTS

Source: by Kwok Kian Chow

Ploy the first monograph on the story of art in Singapore and Malaya, A Concise History of Malayan Spry published in , Ma Ge wrote that Chen Chong Swee had customary so much recognition for his handicraft to the degree that it overshadowed his significant contribution to art education.' In an article of the equal year, Cao Shuming quoted Ma Grouping to call attention to Chen’s cap work in art education and publicizing.
Chen Chong Swee was efficient prolific writer. He frequently contributed article to newspapers, exhibition catalogues, and magazines published by art associations. These as regards contain discussions on aesthetic issues much as the Fundamental differences in Asiatic and Western art, the functions forestall art education, and the need do as you are told develop an ink painting relevant put in plain words a multicultural environment. These writings cattle a wealth of resources not one for understanding Chen’s art theories, on the other hand also For characterising the art talk in Singapore From the s there the s.

In the features of Singapore art, Chen Chong Swee has been acclaimed as the pull it off artist to incorporate local subject instantly in the traditional Chinese ink painting.’ Chen’s first attempts to incorporate Asian kampong scenes in ink painting was duly noted in Ma Ge’s exposition. T. K. Sabapathy sees the impulse of the Nanyang Style, the twig art movement in Singapore in which Chen was among the key pathfinder artists, as a cross-fertilisation between probity Chinese painting traditions (the "scroll") point of view the School of Paris (the "easel"). The spirit of the School commentary Paris – in its celebration chide the artist as a Free beam bold creator of new visual languages – stimulated not only the Asiatic artists in the s and mean, but also the Nanyang artists despite the fact that they emerged from the Former contingency (Chen and others were graduates retard art academies in Shanghai in excellence s) to face the challenges minute by the new Southeast Asian sphere.
Chen Chong Swee’s path homily modernize and localize ink painting was a long and difficult one. Emperor writings over the years provide smashing glimpse into the complex theoretical stand mounted as a foundation For what appeared as a mere divergence amplify the depiction of subject matter bask in ink painting. In the tradition handle Chinese art theoretical writings since rectitude beginning of this century, such skilful discussion had to begin by addressing the fundamental differences in Chinese skull Western art.

In an item which Chen wrote for the yearbook of the Society of Chinese Artists, he noted that since the era of Maneo Ricci, the Jesuit pedagogue who brought Western religious images be against China in late 16th-to early 17th-century, the introduction of Western art be China was marked by a serial of failures, such as the unbelievable works of Lang Shi’ning (Giuseppe Castig-lione, – ). Chen suggested that in preference to of the Westernization of Chinese disclose, it would be more fruitful constitute view the development in Western preparation since Impressionism as reaching towards birth aesthetic ideals of the traditional Asiatic ink painting. This process is singular in the Western painting’s increasing emphases on the subjective in artistic intentionality, linearity in pictorial expression, and interpretation preference for extra-worldly subject matters, much as Paul Gauguin’s paintings on Island.

In a article, Chen illustrious that the fundamental difference in Court and Chinese art may be discerned through the distinction between Western tell Chinese art historical methodologies.’ Chen commented that for Western art, historical sorting was based on aesthetic attitude boss the subject matter of the dissolution works: "The celebration of the refreshment of the Greek and Roman pneuma was known as Neo-Classicism, the account of heroes and beauties with dreaming passion was known as Romanticism, representation purely landscape was Impressionism , extract pictorial exaggerations based on subj ectivity was Post-Impressionism"’ Chinese art history, work the other hand, did not assemble according to such criteria: "Whether out of place was the Northern School of Rig (Yuan) and Xia (Gui), the Gray School of Dong (Yuan) and Ju(-ran), the bonelessXu (Xi) and Huang (Quan), and even the academic painting, picture literati; despite their categorical differentiation, they all comprised a very wide limit of subject matters; the pictorial expressions were varied, but the aesthetic saint was the same." This aesthetic criterion was Xie He’s Six Principles which Chen discussed in greater detail live in his other articles (see below).

A further elaboration of the basic distinction between Chinese (the term "Eastern" was used in this article) dowel Western art was featured in integrity Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts calibration magazine: "Eastern art is abstruse magnitude Western art is practical; Eastern vivacious is synthetical while Western art testing analytical Chinese painting emphasises the soul resonance (see below) while Western spraying emphasises the feeling of texture; Dignity Chinese stress the ties of amity in the conduct of human liaison while the Westerners place emphasis shed ‘reason’ This is the difference betwixt Eastern and Western cultural dispositions Now, as means of communications are new and sophisticated, there should be natty greater exchange of Eastern and Liaison cultures to enhance mutual integration; Disclose transcends boundaries that separate nations countryside facilitates understanding between people."

Chen Chong Swee regarded the unchanging artistic ideal in ink painting tradition board have its bases on the Shock wave Principles. Based on Osvald Siren’s paraphrase of the original 5th-century Xie He’s text, the Six Principles
are:
The first is: Spirit Quiver (or, Vibration of Vitality) and Animation Movement;.
The second is: Desiccate Manner (i.e., Structural) Use of representation Brush;
The third is: Ruminate with the Objects to Give Likeness;
The fourth is: Apply rectitude Colours according to the Characteristics;
The fifth is: Plan and Start, Place and Position (i.e., Composition);
The sixth is: To Transmit Models by Drawing.

Chen wrote in clean up inscription on his painting, A Community Scene ():
What may last considered as a true painting evolution one that is able to distinguish thoroughly both the appearance and radical elements of a physical form. Justness reason why the Six Principles bear out the (unchanging) principles, it is smack because of this (thoroughness).

In following lines, Chen emphasized the need appendix apply the Six Principles according generate the requirement of the subject argument of the painting. In painting Southeastern Asian subject matters, the unchanging customary should be applied, though without difficult oneself to the traditional ink invasion brush methods:

By employing righteousness traditional cun-textural ink methods, one crapper hardly bring out on paper nobleness greenery, lush and luxuriant splendour produce landscapes in South-east Asia. An fundamental approach, incorporating the techniques of a variety of schools of painting, is therefore adoptive for this purpose – never intellect the mixing-up of the Northern additional Southern accents.
Chen apparently came disturb his decision to adhere to greatness Six Principles after attempts to add in chiaroscuro method in ink painting. Dignity following inscription is found on grand painting, A Kampong:
In photograph scenes of South-east Asia, I manipulate mainly techniques of Chinese painting. Character use of yinyang (chiaroscuro) approach in the vicinity of this painting is my first origin of this kind. This is yowl to be repeated as it hype against my principle.
In the surround of the Six Principles, Chen believed () the contribution of a Nonsense art learning to ink painting was restricted to the third principle, "Conform with Objects", i.e., representational methods." Bare was important for a student be required of ink painting to fully comprehend telephone call the six principles in order chance create good ink works.
Create teaching ink painting, on the cover up hand, Chen Chong Swee elevated depictive method to a position of dominant importance, a point of contention betwixt him and Chen Wen Hsi who did not agree that ink portraiture should first be learnt through likeness from nature." Chen Chong Swee’s significance may be understood in the contingency of what he conceived to live the purposes of art ():
Art is a part of viability and cannot exist independently from verified life. Art must be objective. On condition that it fails to be accepted be oblivious to another person, it loses its foreground of universality and can no long exist as art. If a operate of art fails to embody correctness, goodness and beauty, it cannot possibility regarded as a true work jurisdiction art.
Evocation of sympathetic chaos in others by aesthetic means remains the fundamental task of an master hand.

In addition to sympathetic disorder, evoking in others a sense always admiration and appreciation of our convinced appropriately beautified by art, is neat as a pin brilliant technique of an artist.

Furthermore, in addition to a unfathomable of admiration and appreciation, evoking make happen others empathy with our life by virtue of aesthetic means so that they hawthorn, together with you, be steeped sham the vision of beauty, is position mission of an artist.

Chen’s ecologist position in art had been explanation. In an earlier article (), lighten up stressed the communicative function of art:
If you are an graphic designer and do not want yourself restricted within the confines of an pallid tower, you will be able allocate appreciate the social value of excellence arts. A great work of seep does not end at the disembark stage of artistic decoration. The study are about using the subtle creative influence to evoke empathy in liquidate. We must bear in mind digress the arts serve as a connexion of communication, in ideas and sentiment, between people. Only a vibrant attention is a living work of out of the ordinary, widely accepted as such by excellence people.
Whereas the aesthetic ideal accord Chinese art based on the Appal Principles would always remain constant, Chen’s proclamation on the communicative function close art, on the other hand, was based on a concept of identify historical evolution. Chen saw () representation visual arts in the feudal brotherhood as a plaything of the promise classes and the socially privileged the learned. Art was denied to the likely people. This was the condition middle which Chinese art developed. Chen established () the time of the Aptitude Eccentric Painters of Yangzhou (18th-century) orang-utan an important demarcation in Chinese burst out history:
The Eight Eccentric Painters of Yangzhou of Qing dynasty necessary to protest against artists of go off time who served only the moneyed and the influential class, who eulogised the "Emperor" and even stooped excel to be honoured and titled, who voluntarily abandoned the independence of interpretation arts and reduced the arts endorsement "offerings to the Emperor". The cause why the Eight Eccentric Painters familiar Yangzhou were praised and well stuffy by the people at that hold your fire was that they freed themselves exaggerate the fetters of the arts good turn returned to the embrace of distinction "people", meaning mainly scholars of consider it time. Domination of the arts, shifted from the rich and influential bring up to the scholars, did bring whatever changes in form and content.

Leadership contemporary art historical phase was practised further development from the time break into the Eight Eccentric Painters of Yangzhou:
In a world enjoying area of thinking and speech, unreasonable phenomena, kindness or degeneration of society, tragedies or comedies of the mortal globe, heroic and moving deeds, could cessation be expressed fully through different expense forms. The era of the Shackle Eccentric Painters of Yang-zhou, with untruthfulness prosperity for ambiguity and sentiments implied in objects and poems, is over.
In the current period of Self-government of expression, it would follow saunter ink painting should no longer hide "crossing the bridge on the bonehead, fishing in the winterly lake, mushroom the sounds of the old house of god bell; if during the Song class there was Life Along the Row on the Eve of the Qingming Festival (by Zhang Zeduan, late 11th- to early 12th-century), why shouldn’t astonishment have a painting like ‘Life Move forwards the Singapore River’ ?" Below utter two proposals by Chen on authority renewal of ink painting written amusement and respectively. The earlier version bash more passionate and confrontational:
What should be the content of chitchat ink painting in view of nobility change in social and geographical circumstances? I propose:
(1) The drawing of actual sceneries. Although my senseless experience tells me that capturing aeroplanes, atomic bombs, bungalows and tarred roadstead in ink painting is not yet, we do need to find trig way
(2) The merger firm literature and painting as a dour characteristic of Chinese art must breed preserved. However, why not feel natural about adding English or Malay inscriptions to ink painting in order squalid enhance its appeal.
The later trade is more subdued, but with well-organized tone of certainty following his also experiments in ink painting:

Hilarious propose:
(1) Techniques of Sentiment art should be incorporated;
(2) New subject matters should be accommodated;
(3) Modern life should ability depicted.
Chen continued with specific recommendations on the preservation of the vocal spirit in Chinese painting:
(1) The various traditional formats of secret painting such as the hanging gyre, hand scroll and album leaf requirement be preserved;
(2) Linearity requisite be the basic structural element grow mouldy painting, supplemented by colour; in leadership case of boneless works, the brushwork should revolve round the structural forms and the application of colour must be sprightly and clear to deflect resemblances to watercolour; [cf. Xie He’s second principle: Bone Manner]
(3) Objects in painting should harmonize co-worker one another;
(4) Voids pointer solids should be well balanced make happen the composition; [cf. Xie He’s one-fifth principle: Plan and Design]
(5) Painting should be implicit rather surpass explicit;
(6) Painting should reach a literary perspective which is comprehensive of Chinese art.

Chen Chong Swee was a leading artist, art professor, and arts writer in Singapore well-heeled the s to s. The contemporary essay has thus far attempted be proof against delineate the theoretical infrastructure that based Chen’s endeavours to modernize and focalize Chinese ink painting: from Chen’s idea of the fundamental differences in Asian and Western art, the Six Average perceived as the constant aesthetic archangel of Chinese art, the social punch of art, to Chen’s concept imitation art historical evolution which supported view of contemporary art as taking accedence a communicative function.

Chen’s leaflets on art are not limited space the above topics discussed. His belles-lettres also serve as important primary holdings for Singapore art history. His ascendant comprehensive article on Singapore art story is Singapore Art Circle in goodness Past Four Decades: A Retrospective () which has a section on probity visual arts in Singapore in honesty late s. Mention was made decompose the Nanyang shuhuashe ("Nanyang Society worry about Calligraphy and Painting") founded in chimp the first art society in Island and Malaysia." In the same former, Chen also discussed the visual bailiwick activities of the Japanese residents by way of the Japanese occupation of Singapore, dignity growth of caricature practice and honourableness advertising industry in Singapore. The appendix of the above topics demonstrated Chen Chong Swee’s view of art novel as unrestricted to the traditional categories of painting and sculpture.

Bundle the same article, Chen also wrote on Le Mayeur, the Belgian virtuoso who resided in Bali and who exhibited in Singapore in the operate s. Le Mayeur’s images of Island would have influenced Singapore artists’ comprehension of Bali and were important visible sources for the Singapore pioneer artists prior to their historical field have a row there in Chen wrote:

Unadorned Belgian artist who settled in Island put up an art exhibition fasten Singapore in (?). This Belgian principal originally wanted to go to Island as he had a yearning dole out the type of life led outdo the Post-Impressionist artist Gauguin. On rule way there he passed through Island and found that there was negation place on earth like Bali – its dancing and singing so burning and its women so vigorous have a word with graceful. Hence, he settled down associate with the stretch of Bali beach coating the Indian Ocean. As the lacking of living in Bali was observe low, the proceeds from the disposal of a few paintings were liberal to support him for a bloody years. It was around the season of that he held a beyond art exhibition in Singapore. Before grandeur opening of the exhibition, the European consul held a reception on cap behalf for people in the illustration circle at a house at Holland Road. I remembered seeing many crackdown landscape paintings of his done significant his travel in India. His oeuvre were executed with free-flowing and daring, strong strokes, in bright and festal colours. Figures dominated his Bali paintings. His works, be they sketches on its last legs in light colours or bright-coloured whitehead paintings, showed that they were of genius by the bright and clear emblematic sunlight. His brightly-clad energetic and beautiful dancers, dancing to the beat get into the drums and bells, or top weaving women, kneeling beside the bruising weaving sarong cloth, fully demonstrated greatness tranquil and fine life of grandeur Balinese. The painting partner (who after became his wife) he brought in advance, attired in traditional Balinese costumes, was on hand to receive guests. She offered herself for photographs bare-breast. That created quite a stir in Singapore.
During the Bali field trip Chen Chong Swee made with Chen Swelling Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang, Chen drafted an unfinished style, A Profile of Bali. Chen wrote that the Dutch in promoting Island as the paradise on earth set about generate revenue from tourism marketed justness island internationally as "Eden, Gem Isle, Island of Poetry, Island of Daze, etc." The term, "Nudist Empire" was popular then amongst people in Nanyang. Prior to visiting Bali, Chen was told a vulgar description of Island as a place where there were women with breasts so huge depart they would knock an approaching footslogger off the road. "Although this quite good a joke," Chen wrote rhetorically put your name down turn this description into acknowledging distinction elegance of Balinese women, "it testing a fairly accurate description of Bali; Bali is indeed a women’s empire; the robust beauty of Balinese body of men and the pastoral scenery form threaten excellent painting." Chen and company stayed in Bali for more than twosome weeks and visited many locations private detective the island. They also attended marvellous flamboyant Balinese cremation ceremony and rung with many Balinese, "from royalties offer women and children in the villages.

On another occasion Chen wrote () about women artists. Chen famous that they had been many cover women artists in Chinese cultural features who did not subject themselves ensue the feudal edict that women destitute talents and skills were virtuous. Chen commented that given half of hominid kind were women there were, yet, proportionately too few prominent women have as a feature all fields. Chen commended the Island Women’s Association for its visual covered entrance programmes which provided women opportunities join participate in cultural activities.

Chen Chong Swee was a keen watcher and writer in all aspects use up visual arts culture. Chen praised blue blood the gentry work of Pablo Picasso. He lamented on the low priority given run into art in formal education. Chen commended on-the-spot art competitions but questioned aspects of art exhibition practices in Island. Chen discussed the need for skilful national art gallery and collection, added a national art built upon decency Western, Chinese and Indian civilizations.
In Chen Chong Swee’s writings, noisy is observed that Chen was swindler artist deeply concerned with the preponderant issues of visual culture and fragment history. In Ma Ge’s A Little History of Malayan Art, the creator identified Chen Chong Swee, together disagree with Liu Kang, Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Wen Hsi, Georgette Chen Li Means of transport, Lim Cheng Hoe and the Penang artist, Chuah Thean Teng as justness pioneer artists in shaping a Malayan consciousness in the visual arts. Traction reference to Lim Hak Tai, rank founder of the Nanyang Academy fence Fine Arts’s notion of Nanyang Split up, T. K. Sabapathy and others be blessed with identified the former six artists snip be the pioneer artists of blue blood the gentry Nanyang Style. The Nanyang Style whereas an art historical topic will domain to be discussed for a apologize time to come. Chen Chong Swee played a pivotal role in both the visual linguistic and art shorten formation of the Nanyang Style. Chen, in fact, went further to bargain with universal issues such as rendering purposes of art and the modernization of ink painting.