NAME:

1) CHE NURIZZATI BINTI CHE ALIAS (2020862094)

2) MOHAMAD IKMAL HAKIMI BIN MOHAMAD NOOR (2020621014)

CLASS: AD228 5B

COURSE: FET 638 ASIAN AESTHETICS

LECTURER’S NAME: PUAN HAIRULNISAK MERMAN

 NANYANG ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS

The Nanyang Painting Style, also known as Nanyang Art or Nanyang School, was the first art

movement and tradition practiced by Singaporean immigrant Chinese painters in the late

1940s and 1960s. As an immigrant artist fascinated by the novelty of tropical landscapes,

Nanyang artists' works are based on the integration of Chinese ink traditions and watercolour

and oil painting techniques, such as tropical fruits, kampong scenes, batik fabrics, etc. and

characteristically portrayed the theme of Southeast Asia.

The name of the movement draws from "Nanyang" (Chinese: 南 洋 ; pinyin: nán yáng; lit.

`Southern Ocean`), a sinocentric Chinese term used to refer to lands south of its core regions,

from the geographical perspective of China. Nanyang art holds great significance as a critical

period in Singapore's art history, as it demonstrates some of the earliest conscious attempts by

artists based in Singapore to generate a local art discourse. The most famous of the Nanyang

artists are Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng and Georgette

Chen, the first four of whom had received training in traditional Chinese watercolour painting

in China.

The main medium of Nanyang style is Chinese ink and colour or oil on canvas. The simple

usage of colours and lines is similar to that of Post-Impressionists like Vincent van Gogh.

The art style reflects the universal culture of immigrants. Immigrants, in this case, adapted

and embraced a new combination of Western, Chinese and Eastern beliefs and customs.
 NAME: TROPICAL LIFE

YEAR: 1959

MEDIA: CHINESE INK AND GOUACHE ON CHINESE RICE PAPER

ARTIST: CHEONG SOO PIENG

THEORY BY ZAKARIA ALI

PRINCIPLE EXPLANATION

FINESSE/BERHALUS - Shows the unification of Western and Eastern

art traditions in Nanyang style
- The artist's cultural sensitivities are reflected in
his detailed observations of Singaporean and
Malaya people and their lives.
- The representation of the event took place in
the Malay village or in Kampong.
- Describe the daily life of the community in the
east, especially the Malay community
- The events are divided into four areas by tree
trunks
- This scene happens usually in evening which
is between Asar and Maghrib
-

USEFULLNESS/BERGUNA - From right to left, in the first section, the elder

female depicted to be ‘mencari kutu’ or
searching for lice on the head of a younger
female.
- The second section, depicts a part of kitchen
entrance of the Malay Kampong house
- A woman seen sitting on the raised floor of the
kitchen partially concealed by the wall is
chatting with another woman who is sitting on
the ground outside
- A Malay man who only wearing the sarong
and glancing to the left probably at another
group in the third section tree trunk
- Another woman with a basket on her head is
entering the back of the kitchen
 - A toddler, probably waiting to be bathed
outside kitchen’s entrance
- In third section, two woman depicts as taking a
break in their evening conversation
- They are being observed by another female
figure that is standing in front of the middle
tree trunk.
- The fourth section, depicts the back of an
elderly man, who is wearing a songkok,
wearing a white ‘singlet’ and ‘sarong’
confronting a faceless boy, probably asking
about his mischievous deeds.
- On the left, a ‘nangka’ or jackfruit, a few bird
cages hang from the trees.
- In third section, a garden table with pots of
plants is depicted behind the figures.

UNITY/BERSATU - This work shows elements of line art

- The lines shown are vertical lines that can be
seen on bird cages and house boards
- Curved lines are used on the yam leaf figure
which is at the bottom of the work
- The weave in this work is the visible weave
that is on the clothes of the figure and the
trunk of a tree
- The organic appearance can be seen through
the figures and also the yam leaves
- Geometric shapes are highlighted on bird cage
figures
- The colors used look a bit gloomy to describe
the simple life of the community.
CONTRAST/BERLAWAN - The design principle can be seen in the work is
balance
- Balance is divided into two, namely symmetry
and asymmetry
- Contrasting colors are produced through the
use of orange -brown color on some human
figures
- The color used in this work is brownish green
on yam leaves
- The object of the human figure dominates this
work with the activities of village life
- Tropical nature is dominant, as leaves cling
from the braches and daun keladi commonly
used as a borderline from the forest at the back
of the house, depicted as if the observer were
looking on or peeping at the social life from
the forest.

SYMBOLIC/BERLAMBANG - The scene reminiscent of an idyllic kampong

life.
- The growing human figure symbolizes the
Malay community at that time and describes
the daily routine of the Malay community.
- The number of female figures which exceeds
the number of male figures symbolizes that
women at that time did not work and only
became housewives
- The figures of men and women sitting on stilts
symbolize the way the eastern society sat at
that time.
- The love of a mother can be shown through the
figure of a woman who is combing her child's
 hair.
- It is described that Malays in the past liked to
talk and look close to each other.
- Family and neighborhood relationships are
always harmonious
- Bird protection activities that are a favorite of
men are also depicted through bird cages
- The village atmosphere can also be seen
through the shape of the houses and trees
found in this work.
CONCLUSION

In summary, this work can explain the harmonious life of the eastern community in post-
independence rural areas. The harmony of the work works very well with various expressions
of figures and coloring. In addition, the artists have also succeeded in explaining the lifestyle
patterns of the eastern community by explaining their daily activities and what they do on a
daily basis. It is undeniable that this work manages to portray the true reality of the lives of
oriental people who live in such a harmonious group and know each other well.
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55d2be4108ae7fb244f5433d/Absenteeism-of-Malaysian-Identity-in-Art-in-the-Early-

Years-of-Independence.pdf.

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