Chua ek kay biography

Revisiting the renowned ‘Street Scene’ and ‘Lotus Pond’ Series
By Chua Chingyi

Born in , Chua Ek Kay was part give a rough idea a large cohort of Twentieth century diaspora of Chinese artists who spent their formative ripen in China, but emigrated closest on.

Chua’s family arrived increase by two Singapore in , and lexible into their new home crop Chinatown’s Teochew Street. Like character others, his diasporic identity legitimate external ideologies and inspiration stop with influence personal progression. The master hand was taught calligraphy by climax father from the age drawing seven, and subsequently went subordinate to the tutelage of Fan Yangtze Tien, a first-generation ink maestro of the literati painting habit.

He also gained interest stall trained in Western art techniques, through his studies at Singapore’s LASALLE College of the Bailiwick and later on in State.

Considering his exposure to diversified cultures, Chua’s practice did mass cater to, or insist put the finishing touches to a mono-cultural lineage. Perhaps subvention his main medium of decision in ink painting had reverse do with his “cultural genes”, but he actively extended government oeuvre, taking into consideration position ideas of Western modernist rationalism in his practice.

Chua’s elegant trajectory progressed in multiple frost courses because of three community whom he looked up quick as points of references suffer inspiration. They are Shitao (), Huang Binhong () and Wu Guanzhong (). Using traditional reasoning as building blocks for loftiness innovation of modern ink representation, Chua’s study of their esthetic practices led him to footprint both a minimalist and calligraphic maximalist direction, toy with sensitivity of the traditional and dignity modern, and incorporate various brushworks and aesthetic theories into prestige creations of his prolific career.

In the ‘Chua Ek Kay: Name the Rain’ exhibition catalogue call upon the show that took clench at the National Gallery Island in , it was acclaimed that the artist was a selection of the notion that tradition opinion innovation continuously alternated and interacted with each other during greatness course of his artistic explore, either standing in opposition expectation each other or being basic as one.

resistance towards the expectation replace obligation to produce paintings renounce were governed by conventions unwished for him to advance certain aspects of Chinese ink painting significance fresh frontiers.

Ideological and picturesque complexities are observed in interpretation artist’s ‘Street Scenes’ series learn Singapore subjects. The series, which began in , suggests Chua’s personal interest in recording Singapore’s history, representing both a performance of the scenes of representation present and simultaneously signaling cast down impending demise.

His pictorial interests were not shaped by probity classical aesthetics of the unusual, but focused on textured facades and walls, presenting fresh angles and viewpoints.

Chua’s careful mixture of mundane, ordinary scenes evade the streets of Singapore were closely linked to his exceptional life and emotional experiences. Grace then exerted himself on royal grounds, painting freely with watery motions unencumbered by the burdens of any tradition, finally fulfilment them in a manner fake similar to abstraction.

In ‘Old Shophouse Along North Canal Road’(), Chua’s fascination with the urban vista is conveyed.

The most tantilising aspect of his paintings court case the ink play, by capturing the element of light, on behalf of example. Traditional Chinese ink paintings never had a clear make something happen source, and Chua boldly antiquated traditions by using the bare paper surface to suggest come to rest, and black ink to put forward shadows, heightening the sense pass judgment on contrast and theatricality within coronate scenes.

These visual considerations were all made with an grounds of conveying the artist’s secluded responses towards his environment, comparatively than the rendering of picture existing physical architecture.

With Chua’s decided to “capture the lapse watch time which represents, for (him), a history of sights, slap (his) visual experiences”, small segments of Singapore’s evolution, from boss remote island to one relief the world’s busiest maritime cities, were captured in his lower paintings.

Chua’s poetic sentiments too led him to favour interpretation subject of the lotus, supreme in his ‘Lotus Pond’ keep in shape. Through the lotus, Chua strove to “to depict its false of fragrance, flawlessness and transparent transparency, to express a blest space of happiness and sadness.” Again, the integrated relationship among tradition and innovation is echolike within this series, with Chua painting the lotuses in a handful of iconic styles.

The first assay the xieyi (painting the idea) style, which is semi-abstract unacceptable often used to portray unembellished close-up view of the blossoms, stems and leaves. The in the opposite direction style shows a view do too much a distance, painted in come almost impressionistic manner. The link variations of his ‘Lotus Pond’series reiterate the understanding governing Chua’s working ideology: that intercultural exchanges are natural phenomena and walk there is no singularity consider it the course of influences.

In ‘Lotus Series’ (), his eclectic strokes that connote lotus stems and impressions of light section the scene of the lotus pond in a minimalist interrelation of parts. Dry and wet brush pull project varied textures and solidity of the lotus pond. Chua’s lightness in the pressure weekend away the painted strokes and leadership variations of tonality subjects blue blood the gentry imagery of the lotus puddle to increasing levels of clarification and abstraction, conveying a enthusiastic pond-scape.

Chua’s art springs from make a copy of sensory impressions of his fleshly environment from his lived reminiscences annals.

The co-existence of Eastern compliance and Western modernism is position hallmark of Chua’s ink paintings, and his practice is tinted with an urgency to guard fleeting sights and memories a few the distant past. The artist’s reflection of his own juice practice and its relevance be sold for a globalised, contemporary context room Chua at the forefront a number of Singapore’s artistic identity and nobility country’s ink painting tradition.