Offshoot of the Aftermath

TRANSITION SERIES NO. 91... acrylic and oil, 50.7 × 76.5 cm, 1992.

TRANSITION SERIES NO. 75... acrylic and oil, 25.2 × 25.3 cm, 1992.

We had 'Aftermath' - an exhibition by
artist Anthony Chan Sai Weng. Now,
1½ years later, we have 'Transition'.
OOI KOK CHUEN reports...

IN Anthony Chan Sai Weng's world of chaos, there are pockets of calm, shimmering-like little oases where one perennially seeks refuge in, or which beckon with their promise of solace.

This is the genesis of Transition, the offshoot of the Aftermath series of the 43-year-old artist.

The incipient sparks of Transition were first unveiled in Chan's sixth solo at the Bangunan MAS in Kuala Lumpur in October 1990, and the continuing saga will be seen 1½ years later at Galeri Maybank this Tuesday until May 26.

Transition records the transformation within his restless spirit, as it peels through, and rips in parts, the layers upon layers of fabric that shield the real world deep within, with light bouncing off little hidden passages and sunken areas.

"It's like a story told in different times, different era, different chapters - all related to the same title but maybe of different character, environment and mood," volunteers Chan, who has taken six months' nopay leave from his job as animator/graphic designer (Educational TV) in the Education Ministry to prepare for this solo show.

"It is a compact, detailed story. Anybody can come and look at it and reveal his own feelings."

The solo will show 60 of his works in acrylic cum oil on illustration boards and a few on canvases, including 10 done in 1990. All the works are framed with acid-free backing.

Chan uses oil first for his foundation colours and lets it dry before applying acrylic with a brush and spatula.

His works are a process of transformation, of a point in time. The images may be culled from fantasy, but the inspirations are things related to everyday life, the world around him and Nature.

But compared to the soaring imagination of his Aftermath and its cosmic imagery and sense of infinitive vastness, Transition shows a more restrained quality, and seem to suggest more focused segments of space.

The composition also looks more free, certainly more cataclysmic with splintered calligraphic forms hurtling in wild disarray.

Violet, green, ultramarine or yellow ochre, the palette is pockmarked with dark shades for contrast, depth or to suggest spheres of the unknown, and hence a whiff of mystery.

Dark blue base-colour suggesting night in No. 80 (79.2 × 51cm, 1992) forms the nocturnal stage where ghostly wraiths of faceted plant-like forms dance under the light of the silvery moon, the ethereal forms emphasised by the thread-bare lines blowing in the wind.

CHAN... 'a revelation of oppositional balance'

‘It's like a story told in
different times,
different era, different
chapters – all related to
the same title but
maybe of a different
character,
environment and
mood.
- Anthony Chan

Despite the becalming cocoon of darkness, usually shown by darker shades of colours rather than black itself, there are bouts of activity all around.

But the fragile figures seem oblivious to it all, wrapped in their own private worlds.

“The Transition is a revelation of oppositional balance: that from destruction comes hope and harmony,” says Chan in his doublestorey rented house in Medan Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

His upstairs studio overlooks a hillslope jungle densely covered with trees where birds, insects and monkeys find sanctuary and where he draws inspiration from.

“It is a metamorphosis of life that with obstacles in our life, there is always a ray of hope, a light, a goal.”

In Transition, there is the strife for harmony in the face of chaos as seen in the disintegrating tissues of change, hot and cold colours are juxtaposed as are the hard and soft, and the static is pitted against the rhythm of movements.

“I hope they don't denude the hills and chop down the trees,” he says possessively, alluding to the condominiums that have sprouted all over Bangsar and Bukit Damansara over what were once pristinely green slopes.

“I have a feeling that I am moving towards something and that Transition will not take as long as the Aftermath series,” Chan confides. The Aftermath, which started in 1983, took seven years and lasted 180 works.

TRANSITION SERIES NO. 104... acrylic and oil, 76.5 × 57.1 cm, 1993

One work, No. 104, stands out for the long hard sharp line that brusquely cuts the picture in the centre, forming an emeraldgreen promontory on the left.

No. 102 looks like a still life of a bouquet of flowers (76.5 × 101.5 cm, 1993), while No. 93 (19 × 25.5cm, 1993) shows unusual play of rainbow colours.

A monstrous floating blob like a spaceship coming out of a fissure takes centrestage in No. 87 (50.8 × 76.6, 1992), while No. 107 (76.4 × 50.9cm, 1993), with its smoother sand-dune topography, harks back to his Aftermath.

The turbulent green and yellow in No. 89 (50.9 × 76.5cm, 1992) dissipate to unveil a cave - an invitation into uncharted territory.

No. 96 reminds one of some rock formations like Yeliu's in Taiwan.

Chan has another body of works of ink drawings of zombie-like figures in a denuded apocalyptic landscape which falls under the Aftermath series.

For Chan, his paintings are an escape into another dimension of space, and medium, from his main occupation as illustrator, caricaturist and animator.

Though he has shown excellence in these fields as proven by the clutch of awards given him, he keeps these separate from his ink and acrylic cum oil works.

He won a French Government scholarship to do multi-media audio-visual video animation in Paris in 1984 and 1985.

He also won the special prize in graphic design for the TV Pendidikan programme Theorem Pythagoras in Tokyo, Japan, in 1981, and the designer/animator award for the TVP programme Show Me The Way in the Sony ICD video contest in Tokyo in 1986.

He again won for The Healthy Environment (silver prize) and The Super Spy (merit award) in the Sony ICD 1988 and 1992 contests respectively.

Chan held his first solo at Anthony Sum's Art Gallery in November 1982, which was followed by two solos in France - the first at the FIAP (Foyer Internationale d' Accueil de Paris) in February 1985 and the other in Galerie Sordini Marseille France in November/December 1988.

Where his play of rich colour tones and provocative forms are leading to is a journey of discovery for the artist as well as for the viewer.

Soul of Myanmar art

NEW STRAITS TIMES - ARTS / SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1995

PAGAT SUNSET... by Mar Lar, watercolour on paper

DRAMATIC... ‘The Musician’ by Zaw Zaw Aung

By Ooi Kok Chuen

A STREET musician, an old woman enjoying a puff of cheroot – these are among the aspects of life in Myanmar captured on paintings to be exhibited at Kuala Lumpur's Parkroyal Hotel on Nov 18-19.

The artists featured include Zaw Zaw Aung (15 pieces), Hla Han (11 pieces), Tin Maung Oo (13 pieces), Mar Lar (five pieces) and Moat Thone (seven pieces). Moat Thone is organiser Andrew Ranard's latest discovery.

Ranard set up Benson Fine Arts in Singapore in 1994, dealing exclusively in contemporary paintings from Myanmar.

It held its first exhibition at the Westin Hotel in Singapore in June last year and the second Tresors international art and antiques fair in Singapore in September.

“Burma's young artists have technical mastery, but they paint from their heart. Their work has an undiminished, universal impact which conveys the mystery of the soul,” says Ranard, whose interest was kindled when he inherited a painting by 70-year-old Aung Khin on his mother's death in 1993. His father was a diplomat who served in Myanmar during the 1960s.

His curiosity turned into a passion when he discovered the rich vein of talent there despite the closed environment.

He first met the artist Min Wae Aung on his tour of galleries, mopping up all 15 works he had with him. Then he meet Zaw Zaw Aung, Min Wae's tenant and protege.

“Min Wae possesses technical brilliance and classical restraint, but Zaw Zaw is more dramatic, more emotional,” recalls Ranard.

Zaw Zaw is a master portrait painter in the Realist mould, but with the sensitivity and flourish reminiscent of Bartolome Murillo, the Spanish artist noted for his portrayals of street-life personalities like little wastrels and the downtrodden.

His oil, “The Musician”, is in the Murillo vein, striking a melancholic chord on the lot of the mendicant-like music maker who is using bamboo to eke a living.

His “Burmese Woman With Child” is a lively contrast of the generational difference bound by an intimacy of caring.

Zaw Zaw studied under 82-year-old U Kyaw Hlaing, who in turned studied under U Ba Nyan (1897-1945).

U Ba Nyan was the first Myanmar artist to be sent to study in England, at the Royal College of Art no less. No wonder he was dubbed the "father of Western-influenced painting" in that country.

Born in 1897 in Maubin district, U Ba Nyan returned in 1924 and started teaching many artists at his studio and also at the Burma Art Club.

U Ba Nyan was later awarded a second trip to England and he used the opportunity to travel to other parts of Europe and held several exhibitions.

Zaw Zaw, who graduated from the School of Fine Arts in Yangon, is only 30, and had his first exhibition in a church in Yangon in 1993.

Also trained at the Yangon School of Fine Arts are Tin Maung Oo and Zaw Min, both 46, and Moat Thone, 39.

Zaw Min, who also came under the tutelage of U Lun Gwye, is noted for his cover illustrations and in 1993 took part in an exhibition at the Nexus Gallery in the United States.

His works touch on the ethnic charms of various composite groups in Myanmar, highlighting the clothes and culture.

Tin Maung Oo has been exhibiting his works since 1973, mainly in Myanmar, but his first international solo came only this year, at the Nobel Gallery in Singapore.

Moat Thone exploits the fluidity of the watercolour medium to capture the beauty of a translent world. He uses thin washes with uncanny restrain where the images are blurry and without configurations.

There is also a child-like quality about his works.

Like Thailand, art development in Myanmar up to the middle of the 19th century was Buddist in nature, mostly dealing with its ornamentative iconography for religious buildings and enumerating the life and struggles of Gautama Buddha. (However, it was not until 1961 that Buddhism became the State religion.)

The Western influence in Thai art started even as early as King Mongkut's reign when there was a lot of interaction, and reached its peak during the reign of King Chulalongkorn.

In Myanmar, European artistic tradition was introduced with colonialisation at the tail end of the last century, but there seems to be a recognisable division of styles with Upper Myanmar falling under French and Italian influence, and Lower Myanmar the British.

ETHNIC CHARM... An oil on canvas titled ‘Burmese Dancer’

Still, not much is known about Myanmar art although it has a longer tradition than that of Malaysia. In 1914, there was already a Burma Art Club.

But Myanmar does not have a Corrado Feroci (who is better known by his Thai name Silpa Bhirasri) who made a great impact in sculpture and painting on modern Thai art.

Said Ranard: “It is fully documented that two well-known British painters, Sir Gerard Kelly and Dalbot Kelly, travelled to Burma in the early part of this century and left a strong impression on Burmese artist.”

But he said it would be an exaggeration to say that the British played a large part in shaping Myanmar's modernist art.

The exhibition preview is from noon to 7pm on Nov 18, and from 10am to 2pm on Nov 19. The auction, organised in conjuction with Victor Morris (Auctioneers) Singapore and JS Valuers Property Consultants Kuala Lumpur, will start at 3pm.

For the love of nature

By Chow Ee-Tan

WITH his ink and brush, Beijing born artist Hu Zhen-kun has travelled around China to capture the landscapes that are close to his heart.

He loves nature, and is especially fond of the Yangtze River and the Huang Ho (Yellow River) – China's two great rivers – and the landscape and gorges they traverse.

“To me, these great rivers represent the greatness of my country, China,” says Hu. “I find certain places not only beautiful but also suitable to express with my style. It is an instinctive feeling.”

MASTER LANDSCAPIST... Hu with 'Yellow River' and 'Lake Jinbo Waterfall'. Picture by Yip Hee Kheong

Perhaps his most awesome paintings are the three that depict huge waterfalls flowing from high mountains – Lake Jinbo Waterfall in Heilongjiang, Shennungjia in Hubei and Huko Waterfall in Huang River.

In the paintings, the whiteness of the water stands in stark contrast to the dark surroundings. The waterfalls are an image of sheer energy evoking an aura of might and majesty.

Hu confesses that he is more suited to painting “big pictures”, and indeed, many of his paintings depict magnificent views of mountains and rivers.

But he is also adept at less grand and “quieter” works, such as his landscapes of Ziangnan in the south. “Murky Landscapes”, exuding a certain poetic grace and rhythm the delicate side of the painter. A misty feeling is created with just the right amount of ink and water.

Seasons play an important part in Hu's art, as can be seen in “Snow in the Frontier”, “Autumn Lake” and several others drawn in different times of the year.

Hu is in every way a master of colour. The beauty of his colour schemes is achieved with small quantities of strong, opaque colours combined with delicately mingled washes. These contrasting effects are combined with black to express nature.

When he paints, he frees himself from a rigid, traditionalist manipulation of technique and form. He has inherited the traditional skills of ink painting but has also absorbed some techniques of the West. He fuses form and colour in a manner similar to Western painting but with a Chinese approach to nature.

This fusion of East and West is manifested in his unique style which is easily recognised once you're acquainted with his paintings.

A professional painter with the Beijing Art Academy, Hu, 54, graduated from the Beijing Academy of Arts and Crafts in 1962. In his 30 years of painting, he has learnt from masters of both Chinese and Western painting before evolving his own highly individualistic style.

Hu has participated in numerous exhibitions both at home and abroad, winning many awards. Some of his works are housed in art museums in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Hong Kong.

Earlier this year, he received a signal honour when his work, “Gaosanliusui” (High Mountain and Flowing River), was selected by China's Department of Culture to be printed on Chinese New Year cards for President Jiang Ze-min.

Apart from landscapes, Hu also has an affinity with still-lifes, namely flowers, especially the lotus.

"Historically, the flowers that represent China are Mei (plum blossom), Lan (Chinese orchid), Zu (bamboo) and Ju (chrysanthemum). But I choose to paint the lotus.

“In Buddhism, the lotus is a symbol of purity, but to an artist, it represents truth, virtue and beauty. It is also a flower of mixed characters. It has large pieces of open leaves but at the same time, there are the little shy flowers.”

Some of Hu's lotus paintings are done in the realist style, while others are impressionistic or almost abstract.

Writes Art House Gallery owner Leonard Yiu in summing up Hu's talent: “Not only has he rendered innovative designs as in colour scheme, composition and textural beauty, the elements of time (winter, spring, summer, autumn), space (pond, lake, garden, aerial and close-up view) and atmosphere (rain, snow, sun, day, night) have all been aptly captured and subtly portrayed.”

Hu is currently holding his second solo exhibition in Malaysia, after last year's debut. Focusing more on landscape this time, the exhibition, which ends tomorrow, is at the Art House Gallery in Wisma Stephens, Kuala Lumpur.