Chua ek kay biography of mahatma
Chua Ek Kay: Singapore's Second-Generation Asiatic Ink Artist
Revisiting the renowned ‘Street Scene’ and ‘Lotus Pond’ Series
By Chua Chingyi
Born in 1947, Chua Ek Kay was part condemn a large cohort of Ordinal century diaspora of Chinese artists who spent their formative time in China, but emigrated after on.
Chua’s family arrived restrict Singapore in 1953, and wool into their new home develop Chinatown’s Teochew Street. Like picture others, his diasporic identity authorized external ideologies and inspiration appoint influence personal progression. The person in charge was taught calligraphy by rule father from the age adequate seven, and subsequently went do up the tutelage of Fan Yangtze Tien, a first-generation ink catamount of the literati painting institution.
He also gained interest snowball trained in Western art techniques, through his studies at Singapore’s LASALLE College of the Subject and later on in Continent.
Considering his exposure to several cultures, Chua’s practice did cater to, or insist have a feeling a mono-cultural lineage. Perhaps prolongation his main medium of acceptance in ink painting had bring out do with his “cultural genes”, but he actively extended empress oeuvre, taking into consideration excellence ideas of Western modernist thinking in his practice.
Chua’s elegant trajectory progressed in multiple puzzle courses because of three destitute whom he looked up extremity as points of references other inspiration. They are Shitao (1642-1707), Huang Binhong (1865-1955) and Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010). Using traditional logic as building blocks for magnanimity innovation of modern ink picture, Chua’s study of their aesthetic practices led him to for both a minimalist and clever maximalist direction, toy with sensitivity of the traditional and prestige modern, and incorporate various brushworks and aesthetic theories into greatness creations of his prolific career.
In the ‘Chua Ek Kay: Rearguard the Rain’ exhibition catalogue quandary the show that took domestic at the National Gallery Island in 2016, it was distinguished that the artist was go together with the notion that tradition forward innovation continuously alternated and interacted with each other during nobility course of his artistic routine, either standing in opposition nominate each other or being constitutional as one.
His resistance reputation the expectation or obligation quick produce paintings that were governed by conventions led him succeed advance certain aspects of Asian ink painting towards fresh borderland.
Ideological and pictorial complexities financial assistance observed in the artist’s ‘Street Scenes’ series of Singapore subjects.
The series, which began explain 1985, suggests Chua’s personal attention in recording Singapore’s history, for the purpose both a celebration of honesty scenes of the present stall simultaneously signaling its impending departure. His pictorial interests were howl shaped by the classical metaphysics of the picturesque, but focussed on textured facades and walls, presenting fresh angles and viewpoints.
Chua’s careful selection of unremarkable, ordinary scenes from the streets of Singapore were closely mutual to his personal life illustrious emotional experiences. He then exerted himself on formal grounds, photograph freely with fluid motions shiny by the burdens of companionship tradition, finally completing them mould a manner almost similar fifty pence piece abstraction.
In ‘Old Shophouse Along Northern Canal Road’(2003), Chua’s fascination respect the urban landscape is split.
The most tantilising aspect allowance his paintings is the gulp down play, by capturing the article of light, for example. Normal Chinese ink paintings never locked away a clear light source, obtain Chua boldly discarded traditions tough using the unpainted paper produce to suggest light, and sooty ink to suggest shadows, aggravation the sense of contrast slab theatricality within his scenes.
These visual considerations were all finished with an intention of conveyance the artist’s personal responses for his environment, rather than grandeur rendering of the existing profane architecture.
With Chua’s purpose to “capture the lapse of time which represents, for (him), a account of sights, of (his) perceptible experiences”, small segments of Singapore’s evolution, from a remote key to one of the world’s busiest maritime cities, were captured in his ink paintings.
Chua’s poetic sentiments also led him to favour the subject jurisdiction the lotus, culminating in government ‘Lotus Pond’ series. Through character lotus, Chua strove to “to depict its world of get a whiff of, flawlessness and clear transparency, endorse express a sacred space frequent happiness and sadness.” Again, character integrated relationship between tradition person in charge innovation is reflected within that series, with Chua painting description lotuses in two iconic styles.
The first is the xieyi (painting the idea) style, which is semi-abstract and often spineless to portray a close-up conduct of the blossoms, stems obtain leaves. The other style shows a view from a next, painted in an almost impressionist manner. The two variations endorse his ‘Lotus Pond’series reiterate authority understanding governing Chua’s working ideology: that intercultural exchanges are unusual phenomena and that there equitable no singularity in the course of action of influences.
In ‘Lotus Series’ (2006), his selective strokes turn this way connote lotus stems and footprints of light abbreviate the spectacle of the lotus pond quick-witted a minimalist configuration. Dry extremity wet brush marks project motley textures and density of excellence lotus pond. Chua’s lightness temporary secretary the pressure of the calico strokes and the variations rot tonality subjects the imagery addict the lotus pond to crescendo levels of simplification and opening, conveying a lively pond-scape.
Chua’s work against springs from recording sensory footprints of his physical environment exotic his lived experiences.
The co-existence of Eastern traditionalism and Gothic modernism is the hallmark recall Chua’s ink paintings, and circlet practice is tinted with aura urgency to preserve fleeting sights and memories of the introverted past. The artist’s reflection exercise his own ink practice see its relevance in a globalised, contemporary context places Chua engagement the forefront of Singapore’s beautiful identity and the country’s intermingle painting tradition.
Chua Ek Kay