你好，I am Chua Ek Kay. Since young, I always have a deep interest in listening to music and reading Chinese literature and poems. I remember that back when I was in Catholic High School, I could recite poems from memory and my teachers would be very proud of me.
As mentioned earlier in the previous post, I did not come from an affluent family. That was why I only started learning traditional Chinese ink painting when I was 28 years old. My Master was Fan Chang Tien and his valuable lessons have taught me how to fuse poetry with calligraphy in the painting and use "expressive ink", to be expressive in whatever subject matter I choose. I remember that he once said, "There must be rhythm within each stroke and each dot. There must be a graduation of black within black." His teachings are etched in my memory and as you can see from the painting of the bamboos on the left side, the black ink is carefully mixed with water and the colour gradually fades from the bottom to the top of the bamboo.
As mentioned earlier in the previous post, I did not come from an affluent family. That was why I only started learning traditional Chinese ink painting when I was 28 years old. My Master was Fan Chang Tien and his valuable lessons have taught me how to fuse poetry with calligraphy in the painting and use "expressive ink", to be expressive in whatever subject matter I choose. I remember that he once said, "There must be rhythm within each stroke and each dot. There must be a graduation of black within black." His teachings are etched in my memory and as you can see from the painting of the bamboos on the left side, the black ink is carefully mixed with water and the colour gradually fades from the bottom to the top of the bamboo.
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| Fan Chang Tien's Bamboo Painting (99cm x 35cm) |
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| Chua Ek Kay's bamboo paintings |
Not long later, I decided to pursue my studies at University of Tasmania to widen my horizon of western concepts in paintings. I was deeply fascinated by the new avenues of thoughts, approaches and techniques that Western art offered and so, I went back to school (LASALLE) in Singapore to study. My thinking had broadened and I realised that a brush is a very important tool of universal language for I am able to manipulate it to apply brushstrokes that can express my emotions with grace and confidence indecisively. I felt so overwhelmed by the power of brushstrokes and was emotionally compelled to just paint with freedom and that was when I painted one of my most personal piece of work Song of Cicada.
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| Song of Cicada (1995)1800 x 3600 mm X 4 幅 |
Song of Cicada is a very simple yet complex work. The work appears simple as each of the scroll is painted with not more than two leaves, which creates vast areas of empty spaces. The concentration of white, empty spaces represents the serene, calm and quiet state of mind I possess. However, despite the emptiness of the painting, there is a certain intensity exuded, bewildering the viewers and inviting them to imagine and envision experience from within the painting. So, although this work might seem simple on the surface, it is actually a complex work charged with my sentiments and intentions.
Basically, I spent decades learning and practising Chinese ink painting in the inception of my life as an artist. Now, it is time for me to stop writing and I will end off with a quote, "Without a strong foundation in calligraphy, where will your artistic lines come from? Without reading, how can you conceive art? Without good learning, how can you be an expert?"
Dearest Ek Kay,
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard from you for quite some time. How's life? I decided to catch up with you by reading your blog. Some nice paintings you've got there! What do those black dots in your "Song of Cicada" represent? To me, I feel that they can represent the leaves or grass surrounding the cicadas, the notes of the music the cicadas sing, or the cicadas themselves. I don't think you'll be surprised by what I've just said. After all, my "Bird in Space" represents a bird in flight, so your dots can represent many things. It is also great to know how you have interwoven language and art together. I am very impressed by you. This is an area I have not explored in art. You're doing great in your art!
Keep positive!
Brancusi