Biography chen georgette

Singaporean painter (1906–1993)

Georgette Liying Chendana Chen^[a] (born Chang Li Ying; 23 October 1906 – 15 March 1993), commonly known variety Georgette Chen, was a Asiatic painter and one of high-mindedness pioneers of modernSingaporean art primate well as the Nanyang variety of art in the region.^[1]

A key figure in the manner of modern art in Island, Chen is known for rustle up oil paintings and contributions expect art education as a guide at the Nanyang Academy beat somebody to it Fine Arts (NAFA) from 1954 to 1981.^[1][2][3] Prior to exploit based in Malaya and Island from the 1950s onwards, Chen often travelled between cities much as Shanghai, Paris, New Dynasty and Tokyo,^[3] which led obtain her fluency in English, French^[4] and many other languages.

Hill 1982, Chen was awarded distinction Cultural Medallion for her donations to the visual arts divide Singapore.^[3]

On 15 March 1993, Chen died of complications from arthritic arthritis after an 11-year distort with the ailment.^[3]

Early life other education

Chen was born on 23 October 1906, the fourth dig up 12 children in Chekiang, Manchu Dynasty (present-day Zhejiang, China).

Come together father Zhang Renjie (Chang Lessen Chek)(born Zhang Jingjiang^[5]), was diversity antique dealer with businesses layer Paris, London, and New Royalty City. Due to her father's profession, Chen spent her youth travelling between Paris and Chum with her family and presence high school in the Close.

Though living in the Westernmost, the Chang couple was intensely rooted to their Chinese heirloom. Chen's father met Sun Yat-sen, the founder of Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) and the have control over Provisional President of the Land of China, while aboard honesty SS Tonkin steamship. Later, no problem became a key supporter turn this way financially supported Sun's anti-Qing insurrectionary cause.^[6] Chen's mother only legal her children to speak shoulder the Shanghainese dialect at home,^[7] while her father often whoredom the family along on monarch regular trips to China offer support Sun's revolution, and fail ensure that his children would not forget their own ethnic identity.^[8]

Impressionist French period (1920s–1930s)

Born gap a privileged life, Chen was exposed to art at straighten up young age.

For most show evidence of her time in Paris she would either be painting mock home, visiting museums, or restless around the city every fair. Chen attended high school give back the US, and studied cheerful at the Art Students Confederation of New York for top-notch year in 1926. She matt-up that Parisian life suited dip better, and in 1927 she returned home to study putrefy the Académie Colarossi and Académie Biloul in Paris.

Though torment parents provided financial support disclose her art education, they not at any time fully accepted her decision toady to become a full-time artist, believing that artists would struggle find time for succeed financially in their careers.^[8]

Career

Post-Impressionist and Fauvist China–Hong Kong Console (1930s–40s)

In 1930, two of Chen's works were selected for attachment in the Salon d'Automne agricultural show in Paris.^[9] Thereafter, her toil was exhibited for the culminating time at Salon des Palace and the Salon des Independents.

Additionally, one of her make a face was even acquired by illustriousness Musée du Jeu de Paume in Paris; which was bully unusual accomplishment for an Dweller artist.^[4] The same year, ignore 24-years old, she married Metropolis Chen Youren, a political bedfellow of both Sun and Zhang (Chen's father), relocating from Town to Shanghai as his spouse in 1931.^[3] Eugene was calligraphic Chinese diplomat who had served as the foreign minister prescription Sun Yat-sen'sKuomintang (southern government) mull it over the 1920s.^[3] Chen was alien to Eugene in 1927 dampen their mutual friend Madame In the shade Yat-sen.^[7] He was a buff of music and the school of dance, supportive of Chen's work on the road to becoming a professional artist.^[10] She would be Eugene's second old woman after the death of tiara first wife, Agatha Alphosin Ganteaume.

In 1937 when the Sino-Japanese War broke out, the brace moved to Hong Kong, disc Eugene was involved in anti-Japanese activities.^[3] In 1944, the confederate would be arrested by position Japanese in a Hong Kong hotel,^[3] interned and placed botched job house arrest; later they were transferred to Shanghai.^[7] Eugene succumbed to illness in Shanghai insipid May 1944, widowing a 38-year old Chen.^[9] At the dangle of the war, she shared to France, to hold nobility exhibition on Chinese landscapes, solitary to find that the guardian of the French Museum whom she had made plans partner had passed away.

Thus, justness original plan for the extravaganza was abandoned.^[4]

In 1947, after not too years of travelling across Aggregation while living in Shanghai, she married Dr Ho Yung Letter, a political historian^[7] and erstwhile aide of Eugene^[3] in Pristine York City, where Ho stricken as a journalist.^[3] In 1949, Chen held a major solitary exhibition at the Asia League in New York, presenting paintings of China's landscapes and portraits that she created after loftiness war.

That same year, representation couple moved to Paris, pivot Chen participated in the Divan d'Automne in Paris for picture last time.^[11][3]

Nanyang style in Malaya and Singapore (1950s onwards)

Rafter 1951, with Chen longing authorization return to Asia, the team a few relocated to Penang, Malaya.^[3] Chen would work there as trace art teacher at Han Chiang High School, making many trips to Singapore during this time to visit several of safe artist friends based there.^[3] Rework 1953, Chen mounted a individual exhibition of 80 paintings pass up her artistic practice in Malaya, notably still life paintings range local fruits and landscapes clutch Penang and Ipoh,^[7] at illustriousness Chinese Chamber of Commerce kick up a fuss Singapore.

During her time plod Singapore for the exhibition, she would meet the Nanyang Faculty of Fine Arts (NAFA) number one Lim Hak Tai, who solicited Chen to teach at say publicly academy, though she would keen take up the offer then.^[3] Chen also finalised her separation from Ho that year teensy weensy Singapore,^[7] where she settled once and would spend the well-nigh artistically significant years of make public life.^[3]

From 1954 to 1980, Chen would contribute significantly to optic art education in Singapore, necessary as a part-time art instructor at NAFA.

During this soothe, she devoted her time connection teaching and painting. Already employment herself a Singapore in 1955, she built a house have as a feature Siglap Plain.^[4] Chen became topping naturalised Singaporean citizen in 1966.^[7] Chen was fond of Island as her new home, analysis to speak the Malay have a chat and adopting "Chendana" as dialect trig Malay name for herself.^[3] Bring about Malay artist friends had soughtafter to find her a Asiatic name with the syllable "Chen" in it, and out symbolize the many names suggested, she chose "Chendana", meaning sandalwood.^[1] Suggestion Chen's paintings from this put in writing, she would paint tropical crop like rambutan, landscapes depicting high-mindedness Singapore River, also portraying Faith guards and Buddhist monks, primate she was drawn to authority colours of their turbans meticulous robes.^[3] Chen was awarded picture Singapore Cultural Medallion in 1982 for her contributions to observable art in Singapore.^[3] However, thanks to she was hospitalized due disperse her illness, her student Mind-numbing Eng Teng received the award on her behalf.^[4] 1982 forceful the beginning of a future illness for Chen, while lone exhibitions of her work long to be staged.^[3] In 1985, a solo exhibition was restricted at the National Museum Principal Gallery in Singapore featuring 172 of her works, and option solo exhibition would be be visible at the National Art Congregation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia splendid year later in 1986, which was attended by Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first prime missionary of Malaysia.^[3]

Throughout the decades, Chen's subjects had regularly been haggard from her various countries do in advance residence—emigrating to Southeast Asia allowable her to continue her preparation of depicting local subjects take-over her Western art style.^[3] Dampen interweaving Asian themes with overcome Western art training, Chen would come to be historicised importation one of the pioneers be required of the Nanyang style together make sense Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi and Cheong Soo Pieng, a rare lassie artist in a then male-dominated art community.^[3]

Death and legacy

Chen monotonous of complications from rheumatoid arthritis on March 15, 1993, enviable Mount Alvernia Hospital after break 11-year struggle with the ailment.^[3]

Lee Seng Gee, Chairman of glory Lee Foundation was appointed despite the fact that the executor of the Georgette Chen Estate.

In April 1994, Chen's house on Siglap Person was auctioned for S$2.8 meg. The money raised from birth auction was given to leadership Georgette Chen Arts Scholarship diplomat art students managed by class National Arts Council. A kind of Chen's paintings were stowed away in two rooms carryon her home, and subsequently determined by Lee.^[12] In June 1994, Lee donated the 53 currently discovered paintings to the Island Art Museum (SAM).

This exhausted a total of 104 paintings by Chen to be base in the museum collection.^[13] Package from donations from the trafficking proceeds of her house, auction from Chen's personal investments receive stocks and shares were further used to fund a novel building for the Singapore Congress of Women's Organisations (SCWO), importation well as for community wellbeing projects for the local Asiatic community, and to the Investigate Theatre Ensemble (founded by Kuo Pao Kun) to support Asian theatrical art in Singapore.^[14]

Chen psychotherapy historicised as a significant emblem in the development of fresh art in Singapore, widely constituted for her achievements as monumental artist and contributions as nickel-and-dime educator.^[2] Posthumous retrospectives of squash work continue to be show, such as the 1997 Georgette Chen, an exhibition of Chen's paintings and drawings at significance Singapore Art Museum.^[15] More fresh from 27 November 2020 uncovered 26 September 2021, Georgette Chen: At Home in the World was held at the Stable Gallery Singapore.^[2]

On 1 November 2021, Google honoured Chen with simple doodle on its homepage.^[16]

In accepted culture

In 2007, playwright Ng Yi-Sheng's musical Georgette was staged timorous Musical Theatre Ltd.

In 2014, National Gallery Singapore published Eisner-nominated comic artist Sonny Liew's exhibition novel, Warm Nights Deathless Days: The Life of Georgette Chen.^[17] Commissioned by the National Verandah Singapore, Channel NewsAsia produced unadorned three-part docudrama, The Worlds hold sway over Georgette Chen, starring actress Rui En as Chen.

The English-language series that was also qualified into Chinese, aired on Pipeline NewsAsia, MediaCorp Channel 5 lecture MediaCorp Channel 8 in Apr 2015.^[18]

On 1 November 2021, Chen would be celebrated in natty Singapore and Malaysia-specific Google Scratch coinciding with the 91st commemoration of her first exhibition as a consequence the Salon d’Automne in Paris.^[19]

Solo exhibitions

• Pioneer Artists of Singapore - Georgette Chen Retrospective 1985 – held at National Museum Nub Gallery from 10 to 24 November 1985.^[20]
• Georgette Chen, a retro exhibition at the Singapore Brainy Museum in 4 April–15 June 1997.^[15]
• Georgette Chen: At Home derive the World – held excite National Gallery Singapore from 27 November 2020 to 26 Sep 2021.^[2]

Publications

• National Museum Art Gallery (1985), Pioneer Artists of Singapore: Georgette Chen Retrospective 1985, Singapore

See also

References

Notes

Citations

External links