OLD BURMESE WATERCOLOURS

Jørn Middelborg
Published 2020 by
Thavibu Art Advisory, Bangkok
Email. jm@thavibu.com, www.thavibu.com

Copyright Thavibu Art Advisory

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission from the publisher.

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 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………...…..p. 3

U Hnit……………………………………………………………………………………….....p. 5

M T Hla [U Tun Hla]…………………………………………………………………...……...p. 6

Saya Myit………………………………………………………………………………….….p. 57

RANGOON SCHOOL……………………………………….……………………………...p. 59

U Ba Nyan…………………………………………………….………………………….…...p. 59

MANDALAY SCHOOL…………………………………………………………………..….p. 62

Saya Saung………………………………………………………………………………..…..p. 62

U Thant…………………………………………………………………………….…...….….p. 74

U Ba Thet……………………………………………………………………………….....….p. 75

Yatanaboon Maung Su…………………………………………………………………....…..p. 77

Chit Myae………………………………………………………………………………...…...p. 83

Ngwe Gaing…………………………………………………………..…………………...…..p. 85

Thein Maung……………………………………………………………………………….….p. 92

U Lun Gywe……………………………………………………………………………….…..p. 93

CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………..…..p. 96

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INTRODUCTION

The country formerly known as Burma is now called Myanmar. However, as this publication mostly
covers the period of the early 20th Century, the name Burma has been applied. After the fall of the
last Burmese King in 1885, the country experienced a takeover by the British Colonial
Administration. A Japanese occupation followed during the Second World War, until it finally
regained its independence in 1948. This publication aims at studying an important part of the
country’s cultural history, namely watercolour paintings on paper. It gives an overview of eighty-six
paintings and put them in a historical context. However, it will not go into detail and analyze each
painting as this will require much more time and in-depth studies.

From the time of the fall of the last king, King Thibaw, Burma saw several artists painting in a
“palace style” which is stylistically rigid and most often features imagery of the king’s family or
high ranking officials who could afford to commissioned paintings. Artists from this period include
Saya Chone, Saya Aya and others. Saya means Teacher and is an honorific. Other Burmese
honorifics include Sayagyi which means Master, U which corresponds to Mr, Daw to Mrs, Ko to
Brother, and Maung to Young Brother. Sometimes U is used in front of the name, such as for U Ba
Nyan, and sometimes it is omitted and only Ba Nyan is written. It has no implication for the
meaning. Much of the historical background in this publication is taken from the book Burmese
Painting by Andrew Ranard (2009) which is a cornerstone publication on the history of Burmese
paintings.

The earliest Burmese artists who painted in a Western style were M T Hla and U Ba Ohn (ca 1877-
1924), and they received their training inside Burma. The first Burmese painter who traveled to
Europe to study Western painting style was U Ba Nyan who received a scholarship to attend the
Royal College of Art in London in 1921, and later returned to Burma in 1925. A second stint in
London happened in 1928-30. Few other artists had the opportunity to travel to Britain, but could
receive some training by foreign artists who came to visit Burma.

One such artist was Robert Talbot Kelly (1861-1934) who was of Irish/Scottish background and
travelled to Burma around 1903which he wrote about and illustrated in two books published by A &
C Black: Burma Painted and Described (1905) and Burma (1909). The former contains
reproductions of seventy-three of Kelly's paintings and the latter contains twelve reproductions.
Kelly's two books were widely available in Burma and so were postcard reproductions of his
paintings. Hence, the early Burmese painters had a chance to observe and study his works through
reproductions. It is also believed that he met M T Hla.

Gerald Kelly (1879-1972) was Irish and not from the same Kelly family as above. He arrived in
Burma in 1908 on the advice of his close friend Sommerset Maugham and stayed for one year. He
has been the subject of the biography: For Love of Painting (1975) written by Derek Hudson. He
was intimate with most of the major figures of British painting in the first half of the 20 th century
and is known to have taught watercolour painting to M T Hla (Ranard, 2009).

The Burmese Artists and Handicraftsmen’s Association (BAHA) was formed in 1930 after U Ba
Nyan’s return from Britain. An important aim was to bring together the Rangoon School and the
Mandalay School of painting. The older painter M T Hla was elected chairman. U Ba Nyan was
only thirty-three years old but became vice-chairman due to his international experience and thus
high status. The establishment of BAHA put Ba Nyan in contact with senior old “masters” such as

3
M T Hla and Saya Myit. Another important result was that BAHA began to sponsor exhibitions,
which had hardly existed prior to that time. BAHA lasted only until 1936 while the Burma Art Club
(see under Rangoon School below) survived until the Japanese invasion in 1941 (Ranard, 2009).

By March of 1945 when the country began to revolt against the Japanese rule, the fighting grew so
fierce that the populace of the cities fled to remote villages. By the time Burma regained its
independence in 1948, traditional Burmese art had almost disappeared. In the years after, the
Rangoon University Fine Arts Association was established in 1952 as well as the State School of
Fine Arts. Throughout the following decades, this Association was to give birth to many great
artists, as did other affiliate art associations that were founded when more universities were set up in
other towns. (Thanegi, 2006).

Painting education in Burma has traditionally followed the pattern that a student apprenticed with
his master or mentor. Even after the establishment of the State School of Fine Arts in 1952, it was
important who your “master” was since this would give you credibility and prestige. All the painters
mentioned in the literature were male.

Old Burmese watercolours are rarely dated. The first Burmese artist to paint Western style
watercolours was M T Hla, and his early works likely stem from the 1920s, and continue into the
1930s - until World War II probably halted most painting activities.

4
U Hnit (1906-96)

The first art work on paper which is dated and which I have seen, is by U Hnit, and it is dated 1928.
It is a drawing and not a watercolour, but since it is the first Western style art work I have seen
dated, it is included here. It is a pencil drawing on paper, obviously a study based on Botticelli’s
famous painting The Birth Of Venus. It seems U Hnit might have used an Anglo-Burmese model,
and he is well known for having drawn and painted nudes, his favourite subject. U Hnit must have
had access to a reproduction of Botticelli’s famous painting. It could have been from U Ba Nyan
who brought art books back from Britain, or it could be that U Hnit had access to art history books
carried by foreign artists who spent time in Rangoon, perhaps Robert Talbot Kelly or Gerald Kelly.

U Hnit, 1928 | Study after Botticelli | Pencil on paper | 24 x 32 cm

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M T Hla or U Tun Hla (1874-1946)

M T Hla is the most important pioneer of Western style watercolour painting in Burma. In his name
M T Hla the letter M stands for Maung which is an honorific, meaning a younger man. U Tun Hla is
the proper way of addressing him as an older man. Since he signed his paintings as M T Hla, this
will be the way of writing his name in this publication. He first studied under Sayadaw (senior
monk) U Thone Da Ya of Ma Ngae Ah Lae village (Htun, 2006). In the beginning, he made his
living from being a contributor to national festivals and illustrating funerals of monks. M T Hla,
together with Ba Ohn, who both received personal instruction in Western painting from the foreign
artists residing in Burma, are the earliest pioneers of Western-style painting, and their works began
to appear after 1910 or perhaps a little earlier. They were influential, and served as teachers for at
least a dozen painters ten to twenty years younger than them (Ranard, 2009).

In the last part of the 19 th Century, M T Hla might have mingled with and learned from the British
artists J.M.W. Tarna, Thomas Grafton, and J.S. Cothman, according to Htun (2006). And according
to the art scholar Min Naing, M T Hla received training from Gerald Kelly while Kelly was in
Burma (Wikipedia). Much of M T Hla’s work is academically and professionally inclined, close to
Talbot Kelly’s in composition, according to Ranard (2009).

Painting in Burma had gone from works that were Buddhist in character, which included
monarchical and state matters, to historical portraits of royal and rich families. Breaking this
tradition, M T Hla became the first Burmese artist to paint ordinary people, including ethnic
minorities, no less. These were groups who mostly lived isolated in valleys and were almost
“foreign” to the mainstream Burmese (or Burman, as the ethnic majority group is called). Thus, M
T Hla became the first Burmese painter to view and paint his countrymen through observing social,
psychological and anthropological traits.

After U Ba Nyan’s return from Britain in 1930, M T Hla became his painting companion and
learned opaque watercolour wash-style from him, in particular opaque white, and his works
underwent further developments (Ranard, 2009). M T Hla is known almost exclusively for his
watercolour paintings although a few oil paintings exist.

The fifty watercolours below by M T Hla are not dated, though based on the information gathered
above, his earliest paintings are likely from the 1910s, the majority of works stem from the 1920s
and some works extending into the 1930s. It is likely that the WWII and the Japanese occupation
more or less put an end to his painting activities. The works have been grouped according to their
subject matter; paintings from Bagan; paintings from Mandalay; the Shwedagon Pagoda; monks;
ethnic minority people; urban people; and village river scenes.

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Paintings from Bagan

M T Hla | Bupaya Pagoda (I), Bagan | Watercolours on paper | 20 x 15 cm

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 M T Hla | Bupaya Pagoda (II), Bagan | Watercolours on paper | 23.5 x 18 cm

8
 M T Hla | Thatbyinnyu (?) Pagoda, Bagan | Watercolours on paper | 29 x 21.5 cm

9
 M T Hla | Bagan (?) Riverside | Watercolours on paper | 25 x 18.5 cm

10
Paintings from Mandalay

M T Hla | Mandalay Palace and Moat (I) | Watercolours on paper | 21 x 15.5 cm

11
 M T Hla | Mandalay Palace and Moat (II) | Watercolours on paper | 27 x 18 cm

12
 M T Hla | Mandalay Palace and Moat (III) | Watercolours on paper | 20 x 14.5 cm

13
 M T Hla | Mandalay Palace and Moat (IV) | Watercolours on paper | 25 x 17 cm

Unsigned, but it seems to be painted by M T Hla

14
Paintings of the Shwedagon Pagoda

M T Hla | The Shwedagon Pagoda | Watercolours on paper | 20 x 14.5 cm

15
 M T Hla | At the Shwedagon Pagoda (I) | Watercolours on paper | 14.5 x 20 cm

16
 M T Hla | At the Shwedagon Pagoda (II) | Watercolours on paper | 15 x 20 cm

17
 M T Hla | At the Shwedagon Pagoda (III) | Watercolours on paper | 20 x 15.5 cm

18
 M T Hla | At the Shwedagon Pagoda (IV) | Watercolours on paper | 15 x 20 cm

19
 M T Hla | At the Shwedagon Pagoda (V) | Watercolours on paper | 24 x 32.5 cm

20
Paintings of monks

M T Hla | A Senior Monk | Watercolours on paper | 17 x 25 cm

21
 M T Hla | A Monk (I) | Watercolours on paper | 16 x 21 cm

22
 M T Hla | A Monk (II) | Watercolours on paper | 15 x 20 cm

23
 M T Hla | A Monk (III) | Watercolours on paper | 17.5 x 25 cm

24
Ethnic Minority People

M T Hla | Ethnic Minority Portrait Male (I) | Watercolours on paper | 15 x 20 cm

25
 M T Hla | Ethnic Minority Portrait Male (II) | Watercolours on paper | 17 x 25 cm

26
 M T Hla | Ethnic Minority Portrait Male (III) | Watercolours on paper | 18 x 26 cm

27
 M T Hla | Ethnic Minority Portrait Female (I) | Watercolours on paper | 17.5 x 25 cm

28
 M T Hla | Ethnic Minority Portrait Male (IV) | Watercolours on paper | 17.5 x 25 cm

29
 M T Hla | Ethnic Minority Portrait Female (II) | Watercolours on paper | 17.5 x 25 cm

30
 M T Hla | Ethnic Minority Portrait Female (III) | Watercolours on paper | 16 x 21 cm

31
 M T Hla | Ethnic Minority Portrait Female (IV) | Watercolours on paper | 15 x 20 cm

32
 M T Hla | Padaung Woman | Watercolours on paper | 18 x 26.5 cm

33
Portraits of Urban People

M T Hla | Portrait of a Young Male Burman | Watercolours on paper | 15 x 20 cm

34
 M T Hla | Portrait of an Older Male Burman | Watercolours on paper | 17.5 x 25 cm

35
 M T Hla | Portrait of a Female Burman (I) | Watercolours on paper | 17.5 x 26.5 cm

36
 M T Hla | Portrait of a Female Burman (II) | Watercolours on paper | 17.5 x 25 cm

37
 M T Hla | Portrait of a Female Burman (III) | Watercolours on paper | 17 x 24.5 cm

38
 M T Hla | Portrait of a Female Burman (IV) | Watercolours on paper | 17.5 x 26.5 cm

39
 M T Hla | A Female Dancer | Watercolours on paper | 16 x 21 cm

40
Riverside Village Scenes

M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (I) | Watercolours on paper | 23 x 18 cm

41
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (II) | Watercolours on paper | 19 x 14 cm

42
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (III) | Watercolours on paper | 20 x 15 cm

43
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (V) | Watercolours on paper | 21 x 16 cm

44
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (VI) | Watercolours on paper | 41 x 28.5 cm

45
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (VII) | Watercolours on paper | 21 x 16.5 cm

46
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (VIII) | Watercolours on paper | 28 x 19 cm

47
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (IX) | Watercolours on paper | 20 x 15 cm

48
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (X) | Watercolours on paper | 24.5 x 18.5 cm

49
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (XI) | Watercolours on paper | 27 x 18 cm

50
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (XII) | Watercolours on paper | 20 x 16 cm

51
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (XIII) | Watercolours on paper | 21 x 16 cm

52
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (XIV) | Watercolours on paper | 21 x 16 cm

53
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (XV) | Watercolours on paper | 21 x 16 cm

54
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (XVI) | Watercolours on paper | 21 x 16 cm

55
 M T Hla | Riverside Village Scene (XVII) | Watercolours on paper | 11.5 x 8.5 cm

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Saya Myit (1888-1966)

Saya Myit showed a keen interest in painting as a boy, and his mother sent him to the artist Saya
Nyan in Kwan Chan Gon to learn further (Htun, 2006). Saya Nyan was well known for painting and
decorating at monks’ funerals. Already as a teenager Saya Myit was quite skilled as a painter and
joined the Burmese Ah Swe film company for a few years. He later became well known for his
religious paintings of the Jataka scenes. In 1930 when the Burmese Artists and Handicraftsmen’s
Association was formed, he became a member of its executive committee. He is well recognized for
his oil paintings, paintings on glass and Jakata paintings as well as his watercolours. He likely
learned many of his painting skills from M T Hla, including painting on glass and watercolours.
According to Ranard (2009), Saya Myit reached beyond the work of any painter prior to him in his
mastery of fine realistic details and linear and atmospheric perspective.

Saya Myit | Young Boy | Watercolours on paper | 65 x 80 cm

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 Saya Myit | Burmese Dancer | Watercolours on paper | 65 x 80 cm

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RANGOON SCHOOL

In 1913 a small group of British amateur painters founded the Burma Art Club in Rangoon. In 1918
the club formalized itself and elected its first chairman Martin Ward, a professor of physics at the
Rangoon University. The club established by-laws, began to give art classes on Sundays, and
though the original members were all British, Burmese were soon admitted. Ward had studied
painting at the Yellow Door School in London (Ranard, 2009). The Burmese artists were U Ba Zaw,
U Ba Nyan, U Thar Du, M T Hla, Saya Saung and U Ba Kyi.

In general, Western art was regarded as highly systematic while traditional Burmese painting was
thought not to be. The focus in Western painting had been on capturing nature and the human form
realistically, according to objective scientific principles. In Burmese painting however, the emphasis
was not scientific or naturalistic; the goal was to portray the otherworldly realities of religious
inspiration and the phantom realms associated with it. Both had systems - what was different about
them was their philosophical underpinnings (Ranard, 2009).

With the strong British influence, the Rangoon School with the Burma Art Club therefore
represented the “international style” in painting, while the city of Mandalay has always been the
centre of traditional painting, and this distinction caused a rift. In general, the Rangoon School
became adept at oil paintings and opaque watercolours as U Ba Nyan brought back his experiences
from Britain, while the Mandalay School became boastful of its skills in transparent watercolours.
The Burma Art Club paid much attention to methodologies, and the club was called ‘Labyrinth of
Technique’ among the painters community (Minn Tin Aung in Htun, 2006).

U Ba Nyan (1897-1945)

U Ba Nyan’s talents were early discovered by Martin Ward and others. Ba Nyan studied at the
Burma Art Club for some years and in 1921 received a scholarship to go to London to further his
studies at the Royal College of Art. After one and a half year at the Royal College, he was
transferred to the Yellow Door School in London where Ward had himself studied. It was here that
Ba Nyan was exposed to the older European techniques that remained with him throughout life. He
returned to Burma in 1925. His second trip to London included further studies as well as a Grand
Tour of Europe. The painting on the next page seems to be from a Dutch harbour including a
windmill, something he likely encountered on his Grand Tour of Europe. He returned to Burma in
1930 (Ranard, 2009).

The works of Frank Spenlove-Spenlove (1867-1933) and Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956) in Britain
formed the basis of Ba Nyan’s artistic views. Ba Nyan adopted opaque watercolours and oil
painting as his two main media.

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U Ba Nyan | European Harbour, ca 1928 | Opaque watercolours on paper | Size unknown but might
be ca 38 x 28 cm | Private collection

60
U Ba Nyan | Landscape with Pagodas | Opaque watercolours on paper | ca 38 x 28 cm | Private
collection

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MANDALAY SCHOOL

The group of artists working in Mandalay from the 1920s into the 1930s include Saya Saung, U
Thant U Ba Thet, and Yatanabon Maung Su, among others. Ranard (2009) writes: “The Mandalay
School seemed to be a group of happy-go-lucky provincials from cultured families, far from the
bustle of Rangoon where the powerful U Ba Nyan held sway. In the remote old capital, these
painters struggled to maintain their Mandalay identity. It is obvious from the work of the Mandalay
School that many of these painters conscientiously resisted the influence of U Ba Nyan and
remarkably, survived by doing so.”

Saya Saung (1898-1952)

Saya Saung was among the most prolific, important and popular watercolour artists in Rangoon and
Mandalay. Although he migrated to Rangoon to paint and teach, he continued to spend long periods
of the year in Mandalay to be inspired by the landscapes of Upper Burma. He earned the name of Ye
Min Tha or the Prince of Watercolours, and his works were in high demand among the allied forces
stationed in Burma during World War II. He strongly encouraged students to have their own views
and develop their own ideas, contrary to the tradition often found in Burma where the student is
encouraged to follow the master. He was a compassionate man much loved by the community as
well as by the art society. In 1920 he received a gold medal from the Burma Art Club.

He studied first under his mentor Maung Maung Gyi and later with U Ba Zaw. The Australian
painter Jesse Jewhurst Hilder (1881-1916) was also an inspiration, both for U Ba Zaw and Saya
Saung, and illustrations from his post-humous catalogue: The Art of J.J. Hilder (1918) likely served
as a resource for Saya Saung as it had over two dozen reproductions of his watercolours and many
of his pen and pencil drawings (Ranard, 2009).

Saya Saung held a key position as progenitor of the Mandalay School. He might have started his
professional career as early as 1916, but continued further studies under Ba Zaw as late as 1932. He
was mainly a plein air painter creating scenes of rivers, mountains and villages, often near
Mandalay which was his base. According to Ranard (2009), he might have had three “styles” of
watercolours; one with a blanched wash, another with brownish Hilder-like wash, and a last style
with a vivid, variegated wash of brighter colours. He painted exclusively watercolour paintings.

62
 Saya Saung | Lovers at the Lake | Watercolours on paper | 25 x 37 cm

63
 Saya Saung | Visiting the Pagoda | Watercolours on paper | 36.5 x 26.5 cm

64
 Saya Saung | Pagoda Visit | Watercolours on paper | 36 x 26 cm

65
 Saya Saung | Strolling at Mandalay Palace | Watercolours on paper | 33.5 x 25.5 cm

66
 Saya Saung | Mandalay Moat at Evening Time | Watercolours on paper | 28 x 39 cm

67
 Saya Saung | Ladies at Riverside | Watercolours on paper | 39 x 28 cm

68
 Saya Saung | At Riverside | Watercolours on paper | 36 x 26 cm

69
 Saya Saung | Sagain Hills | Watercolours on paper | 38 x 28 cm

70
 Saya Saung | The Old Boat | Watercolours on paper | 38 x 28 cm

71
 Saya Saung | Rolling Hills | Watercolours on paper | 36 x 26 cm

72
 Saya Saung | Blue Morning | Watercolours on paper | 38 x 27 cm

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U Thant (1896-1982)

U Thant was born in Mandalay and early on got to know Saya Saung who was slightly younger. He
was Saya Saung’s foremost student and began painting as an amateur in 1917. He became a
companion painter to Saya Saung from whom he learned his techniques. Later on he served as the
President of the Central Executive Council of the Arts and Sculpture Association (Thanegi, 2006).

The painting below might be from the 1930s from the time when he accompanied Saya Saung.

U Thant | The Great Cliff | Watercolours on paper | 36 x 26 cm

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U Ba Thet (1903-1972)

U Ba Thet was born in Mandalay, studied watercolours under Saya Saung and became as much a
respected teacher as Saya Saung was. He would tell his students to leave the studio and go out in the
world to seek experiences to broaden their minds (Thanegi, 2006). He took long tours in the
countryside up to several weeks, to seek inspiration and paint. Due to his non-conformist attitude,
some of his students such as Paw Oo Thett (1936-1993) and Win Pe (b. 1936) became innovators
who spearheaded the visual art development towards modernity in Burma.

U Ba Thet started to study painting early at the tender age of fourteen with his mentors U Htun Ya,
Saya Aye and Saya Pu. As he grew older, his teachers were Maung Maung Gyi and U Ba Zaw, and
later he studied outdoor painting from Saya Saung, though he remained an independent spirit and
learned more through observation than copying and traditional teaching. He was also a capable
musician, being able to play several instruments. A later part of his oevre consists mainly of oil
paintings. The two paintings below are dated to the 1930s.

Ba Thet | River Gorge, 1937 | Watercolours on paper | 32.5 x 25.5 cm

75
 Ba Thet | Maymyo Bazaar, 1935 | Watercolours on paper | 34 x 26 cm

76
Yatanabon Maung Su (1903-1965)

Yatanabon (also spelt Yadanabon) was born in Mandalay and was a close friend of Saya Saung. As
opposed to the fluid and swift style of Saya Saung however, Yatanaboon painted meticulous
portraits, often of ethnic minority groups. Yatanabon was largely self-taught in painting. He spent
the first part of his life up to 1930 as a singer and thereafter became a painter. He traveled to the
hilly regions where he painted portraits of Burma’s ethnic peoples, reminiscent of M T Hla. His
paintings are probably created just before or just after the WWII.

Yatanabon Maung Su | Shan Chinese Old Woman | Watercolours on paper | 16.5 x 24.5 cm

77
 Yatanabon Maung Su | Maingtha Old Woman | Watercolours on paper | 24 x 30 cm

78
 Yatanabon Maung Su | Maingtha Old Man | Watercolours on paper | 24 x 30 cm

79
 Yatanabon Maung Su | Kachin Woman | Watercolours on paper | 16.5 x 24 cm

80
 Yatanabon Maung Su | Kachin Old Man | Watercolours on paper | 16.5 x 23 cm

81
 Yatanabon Maung Su | Padaung Man | Watercolours on paper | 18.5 x 25 cm

82
U Chit Myae (ca 1903-1976)

Chit Myae lived in Mandalay and taught at the State School of Fine Arts there. His watercolours
largely reflect the modern British watercolour style of painting, the influence coming from Ba Zaw
and Saya Saung. He is also known as an oil painter.

The two watercolours below are not dated, but they might be from around 1950s.

Chit Myae | Village Scene (I) | Watercolours on paper | 33 x 27 cm

83
 Chit Myae | Village Scene (II) | Watercolours on paper | 33 x 27 cm

84
U Ngwe Gaing (1901-1967)

Ngwe Gaing was of Chinese-Burmese descent from the middle class, confident and adventurous. It
was in Daiwei his painting career started as the family had moved there from Rangoon. His main
personal qualities were his eagerness and endeavour, which enabled him to become an eminent
artist. He lived for some time in Daiwei and studied painting under U Ba Ohn. Upon return to
Rangoon he took a correspondence course with an art school in the United States.

Ngwe Gaing became a student of Ba Nyan after 1930 upon Ba Nyan’s return from Britain. With the
death of U Ba Nyan in 1945, Ngwe Gaing became Burma’s leading artist, but was still struggling
financially. Not until the mid 1950s did he receive government stipend and commercial success.

During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese set up the Institute of Art, and a Military Painting
Department. Here Ngwe Gaing was given the honorary rank of major, and his duties included
recording WWII military engagements through paintings. After Independence in 1948, Ngwe Gaing
was asked to produce historical works to commemorate the struggle for Independence (Ranard,
2009). Working for two opposing sides - at different point in time seems odd - but perhaps he just
wanted to paint without getting involved in politics.

In 1952 he was sent to Britain for one year to make copies of Burmese art works and artifacts in the
collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Upon his return to Burma, he became quite famous
and he was awarded the honorary title Ah Linga Kyaw Swa in 1953. No other artist received so
many honours as he did, and he was provided with a flat in a luxurious block of apartments entitled
only to high-level government officials (Thanegi, 2006).

He was a Buddhist, though also influenced by weikza, which is seen as a supernatural wizard.
Hence his paintings feature a wide range of subjects from portraits, still life and landscapes; to the
historical and the mythological; to Buddhist and the supernatural. He did both watercolours and oil
paintings, but probably more oil paintings, and this is what he is most known for.

The first four paintings below may be sketches for oil paintings while the last two works seem to be
full fledged watercolour paintings in their own sense.

85
 Ngwe Gaing | Sketch | Ink on paper | 25 x 30 cm

86
 Ngwe Gaing | The Shwedagon Pagoda | Watercolours on paper | 21 x 31 cm

87
 Ngwe Gaing | Burmese Male Dancer | Watercolours on paper | 27 x 33 cm

88
 Ngwe Gaing | Burmese Female Dancer | Watercolours on paper | 27 x 33 cm

89
 Ngwe Gaing | Ethnic Minority Woman, ca 1950s | Watercolours on paper | 32 x 40 cm

90
 Ngwe Gaing | River Landscape, ca 1950s | Watercolours on paper | 40 x 32 cm

91
Thein Maung (period unknown)

Not much has been written about him, but Ranard (2009) mentions that Thein Maung probably
joined the Burma Art Club after 1932 and was likely a friend and contemporary of Than Sein (1910-
1985), and that they both worked as illustrators for the Myanmar Ahswe Film Company magazine.

Thein Maung | Burmese Dancer, 1957 | Watercolours on paper | 17 x 23 cm

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U Lun Gywe (b. 1930)

U Lun Gywe does not belong to the group of Old Burmese Artists though he might be seen as a
bridge between the traditional and the contemporary.

U Lun Gywe had several mentors among the artists mentioned earlier, such as U Ngwe Gaing, and
he considers the artist U Thein Han (1910-1986) his main “master”. As several of his predecessors,
he is proud to master many techniques and styles; such as charcoal and pastel drawings;
watercolours on paper and oil paintings on canvas; also “styles” such as realism, impressionism,
abstractions, and so on. Although he painted in a restrained, realistic and classical style during his
early years, from the 1990s onwards his colours have become brighter and the brush strokes more
fluid and powerful. The swift brush strokes and the importance of creating paintings from your
mind probably stems from his stay in China in 1964. He says “I learned that the Chinese had a
completely different approach to art. We had gone out with sketchbooks to draw what we saw. The
Chinese students did not take sketchbooks out with them to copy nature. They would store the
image in their mind before returning to the studio and then they would paint what they had seen
without any visual references. I found this a very useful exercise, for it developed the power of
memory.” (Middelborg, 2005).

U Lun Gywe has been the master and mentor of several younger generations of artists who have
later gained recognition on their own terms and thus the torch of Burmese watercolours has been
passed on. More information regarding U Lun Gywe can be found in Middelborg (2005) and
Naziree and Middelborg (2011).

The first painting below is from 1973 and is reminiscent of watercolours by Saya Saung perhaps,
though clearly with U Lun Gywe’s dynamism and fluidity being a prominent feature. The second
and more recent painting shows another level of dynamism altogether. Here, he has taken the
painting towards abstraction.

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 U Lun Gywe | On The Bank of Ayeyawaddy River, 1973 | Watercolours on paper | 38 x 35 cm |
Courtesy of the artist

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 U Lun Gywe | Sailing In The Sunset, 2010 | Watercolours on paper | 55 x 38 cm

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CONCLUSION

Watercolour paintings in the Western style were introduced to Burma in the first decade of the 20 th
Century by visiting foreign artists and the British colonial administration. In the century that
followed, watercolour paintings had a prominent place both among artists and art lovers in the
country, and they probably retained a higher status than in other countries where watercolours often
are seen as secondary to oil paintings. Also, compared to her neighbours in Southeast Asia, Burma
stands out as being the one country with a large and continuous production of watercolour
paintings. Apart from the Japanese occupation during the WWII, there is an unbroken continuum
from the first painter M T Hla til today’s younger painters.

Mentor and apprentice relationship has served as the basis for the development and continuation of
watercolour paintings in Burma. Skills are passed on to the next generation, and some new elements
have been added. It may be observed that many of the artists can be seen as ‘traditional’ painters
painting ‘traditional’ watercolours. In today’s world of contemporary art, this might be frowned
upon - that there is little room for innovation in techniques or subject matters. However, Burma has
been an isolated country for most of the 20 th Century with few foreign influences, and traditional
ways in arts and culture have prevailed. This can also be viewed as a strength as cultural
expressions today often seem to be homogenized in a globalized world.

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REFERENCES

Hla Tin Htun, 2006: Old Myanmar Paintings In The Collection of U Win. Thavibu Gallery,
Thailand

Ma Thanegi (ed), 2006: Myanmar Painting – From Worship to Self Imaging. Evo Heritage, Vietnam

Middelborg, Jørn (ed), 2005: U Lun Gywe – A Master Painter from Myanmar. Thavibu Gallery,
Thailand.
https://www.academia.edu/29826095/U_LUN_GYWE_-
_A_MASTER_PAINTER_FROM_MYANMAR

Naziree, Shireen and Jorn Middelborg, 2011: Feasting The Female Form – U Lun Gywe. Thavibu
Gallery, Thailand.

Ranard, Andrew, 2009: Burmese Painting – A Linear and Lateral History. Silkworm Books.
Thailand

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.T._Hla_(U_Tun_Hla)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saya_Myit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Nyan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Kelly

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Talbot_Kelly

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