BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL
Man Life & Style Feb. - Mar. 1989
BY KELLY CHOPARD
He
has participated in 32 art exhibitions, 13 of which were one-man shows. His
works are exhibited in several countries and found in museum collections and
government organizations. Hotels and banks have commissioned him to do work
for them. Topping the list of this extraordinary man achievements is
probably the Glass Hotel in Singapore which ordered 1,000 paintings. Even
the Emir of oil-rich Bahrain owns an original in his private collection.
Critics from several countries
and well-known Singapore Art Impresario, Delia Butcher, unanimously agree
that he may one day be hailed as one of the finest Chinese brush painters of
the century.
This distinction belongs to
37-year- old Singapore artist James Tan, an exponent of the Lingnan School
of art. It has been said many times that he has perfected the technique of
venturing beyond the traditional yet keeping the valued technique of the
brush strokes in traditional Chinese paintings.
The Lingnan School is
characterized by being freer than traditional Chinese painting. It allows
the artist to infuse his own feelings, interpretation of subject-matter and
emotions into the painting. It does not demand a dogmatic approach in terms
of technique or style.
Because of this one can trace
the growth of the artist, notice his mood at a particular period and study
the influences he has been exposed to as the years pass.
Like Western art, it
encourages the artist to interpret the subject in his own way. Unlike the
traditional Chinese school, which leaves the background white, Lingnan
artists wash the back-ground to create a mood. Another difference is that it
relies less on brush-work and so permits the artist freedom to explore,
create and innovate.
The Lingnan School developed
in southern China shortly after the Qing dynasty came to an end in 1911. The
initiators of this movement were "three Masters" who were art graduates from
Japan. They lived in a period of revolutionary fervors set ablaze by Dr Sun
Yat-Sen when the influx of western thought and culture was at its height. It
is there-fore not surprising that changes took place in the artistic field
Lingnan art is a marriage
between East and West. It employs traditional Chinese brushwork, combines
this with western artistic techniques and incorporate-rates some elements
from the Geshan school of Japanese art.
It was born in an area in the
Guang-dong province and it was some time be-fore traditional artists
accepted this revolutionary style.
Today paintings done in the
Lingnan style are appreciated and much-sought after not only by Chinese art
lovers but by art enthusiasts everywhere.
James Tan finds that anyone
can identify with Lingnan art because it in-corporate both worlds and can
there-fore fit into any decor.
James Tan after graduating
from the Singapore Academy of Art took a correspondence course in painting
from the famed master of the Lingnan School. Professor Au Ho-Nine. "It
wasn't easy. Each month he sent me eight samples of art to copy, with
instructions like, first you paint the branches, then the flowers, followed
by the birds," James recalled.
Then in 1973 he got his big
break. He met a Chinese artist living in the States who invited him over to
be his helper. James suddenly found himself painting furiously to forget how
home-sick he was.
Loneliness seemed to pay off
as he had enough paintings to participate in exhibitions in a country that
was becoming increasingly interested in China. The exposure was good and
James found himself even teaching art.
I
recently met one of his former pupils from the States, Florence Spiering, a
charming grey-haired matron visiting Singapore who said, "I used to travel
60 miles once a week for my art lessons. I wasn't the only one. All sorts of
people came including bankers, businessmen and ladies of leisure. People
were fascinated by the number of paintings James produced and wondered at
how he found time to teach as well. We loved his art and we loved learning
from him."
Apparently it's no different now that he's back in Singapore. He manages to
combine paining, me business 01 selling his work, traveling abroad to make
exhibition arrangements and teach be-tween 60-80 pupils.
Despite this, James still finds time to help the less fortunate. Recently he
did 10 special paintings for the National Kidney Foundation which were
reproduced into lunar New Year cards. The first thing you notice when you
realistic and exude a feeling of serenity. Colours are muted yet fresh.
Another trademark is that a subject is never alone in a scenic setting. This
apparently reflects the artist's philosophy.
"I
feel that to really appreciate beauty one must share it with someone, that's
why I guess I tend to project this in my work," he mused. A prolific artist
needs to expose him-self to the world in order to get ideas and inspiration.
"I visit beautiful places because when I see
beauty I drink it in and somehow they find their way into the paintings," he
explained. Looking at the multitude of finished, partly completed and framed
paintings is mind boggling. One wonders how one person can produce so much
so fast, without sacrificing quality.
"Oh I am very strict about quality. I destroy
anything that is not good," James assured me with a laugh, pointing to a
huge basket of discards.
At a recent exhibition I viewed over 100
paintings and marveled at his ability to portray action in his work. Fishes
appear to swim, birds seem to glide, rivers wind their way lazily down
gentle mountain slopes. People when present seem, like us, to view the
captivating scene be-fore them.
This ability, says James, comes from studying
nature and man carefully. One would say that his mind's eye is almost a
camera. He is able to paint an evocative picture in words. His description
of the awesome Himalayas, the wonders of the Grand Canyon, the view from the
Great Wall and cherry blossom time in Japan make us almost 'see' the scene
so it's understandable that he is able to put these mind pictures on paper
so realistically.
If one were
to analyze the reason for James' success one would say that his art has a
basic universal appeal. It is an honest representation of life. There is no
pretension. It is easily understood and visually pleasing.
The paintings are a comfortable blend of East
and West. He has managed to evolve a style that is contemporary yet elements
of traditional Chinese in-fluencies are always present. If I were asked to
describe the work of James Tan in one word, that word would be harmony.
But the artist himself is not satisfied. He
admits that he is continuously experimenting. "The Lingnan style allows me
to improvise so I keep trying to achieve the ultimate," he said.
The title
of a catalogue from a recent one man exhibition best describes James' quest.
The Search for Inspiration.
