My interest in Chinese contemporary arts started when I first laid eyes on a painting in Yan's dining room more than 8 years ago. According to his mum, the painting was commissioned by his family. The artist was from mainland China who had come to Singapore to exhibit his works. It was a rare opportunity, and Yan's parents were fortunate to be able to convince him to paint for them. The painting depicts imperial concubines in beautiful royal robes riding on horses and playing polo.
I was told polo was an official pastime amongst royal families in feudal China. I was captivated by the elegance of each stroke on the painting. I paint at times, but I would have never been able to do something like that. Ever since, I have been paying keen attention on the difference between Chinese and Western works. I do like certain types of oil paintings, but Chinese works resonate more at this stage in my artistic journey. So when a Xu BeiHong private collection arrived in Singapore recently, it was a real treat.
Xu BeiHong (1895-1953), had received both Chinese and Western training during his lifetime. He was well travelled, and had spent a fair bit of time in France and Germany, learning and mastering Western arts. Xu is famous for both his oil paintings and Chinese paintings, but it was the images of his heroic horses that he is best known for.The exhibition at the Singapore Arts Muzeum carries a wide variety of Xu's works, ranging from charcoal sketches, portraits in oil painting, as well as Chinese-style paintings. The works shown cover mostly his times in Singapore, Malaysia and India; stops he made when he was travelling extensively to the West. It is an impressive collection, reflecting his observations and understanding of the cultures he visited. There were also several of his handwritten letters to his long time friend in Penang on display. These writings are highly precious, for they are proof of a man who was a genuinely passionate artist, interested only in artistic freedom and excellence, not wealth or fame.
One of Xu's "Drinking Horses" is shown below. 
Two drinking horses watched over by a third horse. Its manes are upright, showing it is in alert.
The pictures here were all taken using my Iphone, and edited for sharpness using Iphoto. The results are not bad considering it was ad hoc stealth photography.
The "Preying Mantis" is an interesting piece for me. How lively and refine the strokes are in conveying the action of "preying". The color choice for the mantis, using sharp strokes, in contrast to a fading background of leaves using broader and diffusing strokes, is an excellent technique, as far as I am concerned.
2 comments:
wow Hilmy I didn't know you are a fan of Xu Beihong, I like this art pieces too!
Have you been to the exhibition at Singapore Arts Museum yet? I was trying to get some reprints for my new office, but was disappointed to find that they don't sell any at the Museum shop. How non-enterprising, compared to Western countries...they would have been too quick to rip off the late artists' works left, right and centre, by selling all kinds of reprints - whether T-shirts, posters, reprints, mugs, postcards...you name it. i seriously think that we need to take chinese arts to a very different level quickly...i know it's fast getting appreciation all over, but not quick enough..
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