THESIS
1997
ix, 136 leaves, 83 leaves of plates : ill., map ; 30 cm
Abstract
The Nanyang Art Style is an oft-used term in the discussion of Singapore art, being recognized as its first distinguishable local art style. However, it is not a clearly defined term because it encompasses a variety of styles and its creators never formed a school nor lay down their philosophy. But its creators, the so-called Nanyang artists, shared a similar background in artistic training and personal experiences....[
Read more ]
The Nanyang Art Style is an oft-used term in the discussion of Singapore art, being recognized as its first distinguishable local art style. However, it is not a clearly defined term because it encompasses a variety of styles and its creators never formed a school nor lay down their philosophy. But its creators, the so-called Nanyang artists, shared a similar background in artistic training and personal experiences.
The Nanyang artists is a group of Chinese artists who received their art training in either Shanghai or Paris and emigrated to Singapore between the 1930s and the 1950s. They were all trained in Western painting either in Shanghai or Paris. Their need to express a new artistic identity in Singapore led to the evolution of a local art style.
The thesis is divided into two main parts. Part One explores the general development of Singapore. And the reasons that led to art being introduced and developed on an island where the initial immigrants were mainly laborers and businessmen has been studied. Part Two discusses the evolution of a local art style in Singapore.
Part Two is further divided into two chapters. The first chapter recalls the artistic atmosphere of Shanghai and Paris, where the Nanyang artists received their art training. It is about the first part of the artists' journey into the art world. In the second chapter, reasons and events leading to the evolution and development of the Nanyang Art Style will be discussed and analyzed.
In the Conclusion, a definition of the Nanyang Art Style will be attempted from the above study of the search for an artistic identity in Singapore by a group of Chinese emigre-artists. A brief description of the development of Singapore art after the phenomenon of the Nanyang artists will be given.
Post a Comment