Mighty Michael, Phenomenal Phelps

Today is a day to commenerate because Michael Phelps got his 8 golds. Thus, to commenerate today, I have decided to make this scrapblog! Go Micheal Phelps! I root for you! (:

Happy 90th Nanyang

On this exact day a year ago, Nanyang Girls’ High celebrated her 90th birthday! Happy birthday Nanyang!

For the 90th Anniversary of Nanyang, we are required to work on a project based on the theme–environment. we are to come up with a collage of something which brings across the message of environmental conscious in the students. Here are some of my research studies and the final work.

research drawing 1: acrylic on paper

This shows a penguin, who is supposed to be living in very cold environment (at the South Pole) using a electric fan to cool itself down. This shows that if we do not conserve the environment, in a few years’ time, the ice caps on the Earth would all melt due to global warming and there will be sharp increase in the Earth’s temperature.

research drawing 2: acrylic on paper

Some experimenting with the different motions of the penguin. This is a painting a penguin who is riding on a ski.

FINAL COLLAGE

I must admit that doing collage is really a fun way of approaching art! I had a great time exploring the different patterns and colours of paints which I used for the different body parts of the penguin. By the way, the school has made a few of my classmates and mine  design into bookmarks/stamps. Here are pictures of the final product. Thank you Theresa for helping to scan over the stamps! (:

[bookmark to be uploaded]

Jing Jing

Here is a paper cut I did during my free time! It isn’t exactly considered a paper cut, because I cut it out from a piece of white A4 paper and after cutting I painted it using markers. I think it looks quite okay, the most tiring part of this piece of work is of course the belly of Jing Jing (By the way I have only decided to do Jing Jing because I really do not have enough time to do all the 5 friendilies). The 5 rings of Olympics are especially hard to cut! But I feel that this is quite an okay piece of work overall. (:

hello SAM, hello Mr. Xu

Venue: Singapore Art Museum

Date/Time: 2nd August 2008, Afternoon

Went down to SAM with Huikin to see the “Xu Bei Hong in Nanyang” in exhibition. Here are some information about the artist/exhibition:

5 April to 17 August 2008

Co-organised by the Singapore Art Museum and the Xu Beihong Art Museum (Beijing), Xu Beihong in Nanyang will showcase artworks created in the 1930s and early 1940s, during the artist’s sojourn in Southeast Asia and India . Xu Beihong is recognised as the founder of China’s art education in the realist tradition and the father of Chinese modern painting. He had an immense influence on the development of Chinese painting in the 20th century. As one of the first Chinese painters to study in the West, Xu became a master of both the art of traditional ink painting and western oil painting. Xu spent several years in Southeast Asia and India between 1939 to1941. Besides painting, he also participated in many social activities. He developed close relations with personalities like R. Tagore, M. Gandhi, Sir Thomas Shenton and Lim Bo Seng, and painted compelling portraits of these individuals. The exhibition will explore Xu’s journey in Southeast Asia and India, and the interactions that went on between artist and the local communities; how each left an indelible mark on the other, and how these helped propelled Xu Beihong’s artistic achievement to greater heights.

It was a meaningful afternoon spent at the SAM, and I must say that I have indeed gained quite a lot from going to this exhibition. Here are three paintings which I find especially interesting:

1.

2

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3

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The first two are the most acclaimed works of Xu Bei Hong. There are entitled ” The foolish Old man who removed the mountains” and “Put Down your Whip” respectively. The first painting is down in the year of 1940, horizontal scroll, with ink and colour on paper. It is donw in the 4th month of the 29 years of the Republic (194) in Darjelling, India. The subject is based on the story of Beishan Yugong, the foolish man from the Northern mountains from the classic work Lie Zi. In the story, the old man decided to remove the two mountains in front of his house. Although ridiculed as a folly, he reasoned that if his sons and grandsons persevered in the task, the mountains would be removed eventually. When God learnt of his determination, he was so moved that he ordered the mountains be removed. The story was important for the artist as he wanted to use it as a metaphor to praise the Chinese’ efforts in resisting the Japanese aggression at that point of time.

The second painting, “put down your whip”, was painted in Singapore in 1939, based on the Anti-Japanese drama of the same title which featured the female actress Wang Ying. It was done after having witnessed the staging of a patriotic street drama about a father and his daughter in wartime exile. This painting illustrates his passion and patriotism.

I would like to personally comment on the third painting.

Portrait of Madam Chang (1941)

Size: 79.5 x 65cm

Medium: Oil on board
Collection of Dato’ Cheong Kai Fu, Ipoh

This portrait was painted by Xu in Ipoh in 1941, when Madam Chang was 92 years old. She was the mother of the late Cheong Chee (1885-1954), a wealthy Chinese tin miner and philanthropist in Malaya. The iconography of the painting is an old lady sitted in a chair with her hands resting casually on the sides of the chair. The subject matter is depicted in a naturalistic way, showing the physical likeliness of the sitter. The colours used in the painting are mainly naturalistic, as reflected in the skin tones and the colours of the background. The colours used are also harmonious, such as the shades of blues of the clothes and greens of the accessories of the old lady. These colours are found close to each other on the colour wheel. The forms not carefully modeled and brush strokes can be seen in the painting, as the blending of forms does not seem to be of a concern to the artist. The depiction of light if clear and sharp. The light source seems to be coming from the top right hand corner of the painting, through where a window is located. The shapes found in the painting are mainly naturalistic, with lines which are sinuous and flowing. Broken colour technique has also been applied in the painting, as pure colours are placed side by side so that they appear to be fused by the naked eye at a distance. In terms of usage of space, Xu has made use of linear perspective, to create a sense of depth. Linear perspective is the visual effect of things diminishing in size the further they are away from the viewer. On a overall basis, the subject matter of the painting has been arranged in a unified and balanced composition.

The top right hand corner of the painting forms part of the background. It shows a window which opens to sceneries outside. Here, the influences of the impressionists and post-impressionists can be clearly seen. This can be seen in terms of the usage of colours, the subject matter and the way in which the paints have been applied. Overall, I think this portrait brings its viewers a calm and relaxed feeling, with its use of cool colours such as blues and greens.

I feel that this piece of work of Xu, although not one of the most well-known pieces, has been done well. It exhibits a high degree of technical skill in capturing the facial expressions and the emotions of the sitter. Also, I like the fact that the iconography has been treated in a realistic fashion. I believe that art must be comprehensible and accessible to all, regardless of their age, gender, education or status in the society. Hence, I feel that by showing the physical likeliness of the sitter, Xu has allowed more viewers to connect with the painting and understand it.

sources:

http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/hss/chinese_eng/about/seminarsandlectures/ilofen5may2008.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xu_Beihong

http://www.nhb.gov.sg/sam

I dream to be a tree-painter when I grow up

the due date for coursework’s only a few weeks away! here’s how my tree looks like at the starting of the coursework, more updates will be provided as it progresses! (:

Big Bird

medium: pencil on paper

A drawing of a bird! I found this bird somewhere in one issue of the national geographic magazine, but I am so sad I lost the original magazine! If not a compare and contrast could have been done (even though it would make my works seem even lower in standard, but I feel that this is the only way to improve). So there you go, my big bird friend! I feel that what I have done well for this pencil drawing is in the contrast between the dark and light part. The dark part is really shaded with very dark tones and the light region is merely suggested, hence bringing across a sense of depth to the drawing. However, there are many other areas which I could have definitely done better. One such example is the shadow of the beak of the bird, somehow it looks a little out of place and weird. Also, The right wing of the bird could have been more in proportion, as it seems a little too flared up. The right leg of the bird could have also been done with much more clarity, as pencil markings of the previous drawings could be seen.  One lesson learnt is that I should shade the drawing lightly first before doing the real shading, so as to make sure that it has been accurately marked out before I continue.

Please do comment, constructive criticism are especially welcomed! Thank you! (:

comments and criticisms V–weining’s still life

medium: watercolour on paper

God. What can I say? I have such talented classmates! Although Wei Ning claims that she feel that she has screwed it up. First of all I like the way in which the composition has been arranged. The use of complementary, contrasting colours, namely green and red also brings out the impact of the painting and makes it not so plain. I also like the way in which the words on the piece of paper behind have been merely suggested instead of carefully drawn out. This helps to draw the viewers’ attention to the iconography in the center, foreground of the artwork. I also like the green veggies and the chilli, they look so tempting I feel like I can eat them up raw. Only one thing, the paper looks like it’s floating in the middle of the air, so perhaps the artist could have considered making the contrast between the foreground and the background a little more obvious?

for more of weining’s 4hour 2D works, please go to http://aknut.wordpress.com

compare and contrast

this is good, I have been updating my e-portfolio quite often these few days (:

I just realised that I failed to upload anything from March to June, although I really still come here on a regular basis to check out a few of fellow AEP/GAP’s e-portfolios which have been constantly updated!

mm, I should be more consistent in whatever I do from now onwards (:

shall make an effort to come here at least once in two days’ time!

anyway term 3 aep clock test on SOVA is coming in less than 2 days’ time! the topics which would be tested this time round are “self and society” and “self and relationship”. Mr. Lim said that it would be very similiar to the format of the paper which we did in class on the 16th July. Thus, I decided to brush up my skills and wrote a short essay of compare and contrast.

The two paintings which I have decided to compare and contrast are autumn colours by Liu Kang and Garden Path in Louveciennes by impressionist Alfred Sisley.

Image sources: The literature, culture and society of Singapore and Army’s Art

Autumn colours

Description of subject matters/style and interpretation of meaning:

• The painting has been done in a realistic style in a painterly fashion.
• The scene depicts a typical Parisian road scene during the period which Liu Kang resides in the city of Paris.
• There are not many activities going on in the painting and it gives viewers a composed, quite and calm feel.
• The painting is being separated into two different components by the road which cuts across the painting diagonally in the foreground. Hence, the painting has been separated into the background, which consists of the tress and the houses, and the foreground which consists of a few people walking along the road.
• A sense of depth is created in the painting with the perspective of the tress and houses near the middle left hand side of the painting, drawing the viewers’ attention into the background.
• The road which leads from the foreground of the painting to the background also helps to divert the viewers’ attention to the back of the painting.
• The colours which are used in the paintings are mainly warm, tertiary colours, with shades of reds, oranges, yellows, browns and tints of secondary colours such as greens.
• The human figures are simplified, and the features cannot be seen, and the meticulous details of the bodies and clothes are neglected. Instead, they are painted in dabs of paint to just give the viewers a basic outline and suggested form of the figures.
• The paints are applied in a painterly fashion and the artist does not seem to be concerned with the blending of the brushstrokes as they are visible.
• Pure colours are places side by side and they appear to be fused by the eyes at the distance, this is known as the broken colour techniques.
• The above two points show influences on the artists from impressionists painters such as Alfred Sisley, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. This is one of the earlier works done by Liu Kang and it probably is influenced by his stay and study period in Paris.
• This painting portrays the simple, peaceful life of the people in Paris on a typical autumn day. It also captures the shimmering mood of autumn in Paris.
  

Comparison with a similar work by another artist:

Similarities

• Both paintings depict a genre scene with the seasonal colours and changes as its main subject matter.
• Both paintings are realistic and the broken colour technique is utilized in the paintings.
• The lifestyles of the people depicted in the paintings are rather similar, being carefree and relaxed and calm.
• There is one main colour which has been used in the painting, for autumn colours it is shades of reds and for the Garden Path in Louveciennes it is shades of greens—both colours are secondary colours.
• Both paintings are done in similar styles, in a painterly fashion with visible brushstrokes so that they are visible. There is no modelling of paints or forms.
• The figures in both paintings have no features, and they are merely suggested with dabs of paints.
• Both paintings have a sense of depth with the perspective of the road and the tress.

Differences

• Autumn colours gives the viewers a warmer feel with its shades of warm colours as compared to Garden Path in Louveciennes which gives its viewers a cool, refreshing feel with its shades of greens.
• The figures in autumn colours have a thick bold outline around the forms while this outline is absent in Garden Path in Louveciennes.

I realised that skills once not practiced, they tend to get really rusty. It was really hard for me to get started on the essay, but after looking through some of the seniors’ works and terms commonly used in the descriptions of artworks, I found back some momentum! (:

space and structure

here’s an essay which we wrote during aep class on the 16th July 2008 after Mr. Lim conducted the lesson on sculptures/land art which comes under the big topic of space and structure

1. Describe one of Han Sai Por’s scuplture.

Title of work: Spirit of Nature, 1991 (granite)

image source: Boonscafe

Han Sai Por is a Singaporean artist, her public sculptures can be seen around the world including Japan, Malaysia, England, China, America and Singapore. Her works are inspired by nature, especially the flora and fauna of tropical rain forests. Here are some of the descriptions of her work listed down in point form:

• organic and tangible forms with sinuous, twsting and flowing lines
• carved from granite, and the surfaces of all three structures are highly polished and smooth
• the insides of the concave surfaces, however, seem to have been left deliberately unpolished
• 3 abstract forms make up the sculpture, and these 3 components are placed generally relatively closed together, and seem to be moving and twisting around each other
• one sculpture is curved downwards, with an arc and the ending point towards the ground, the second sculpture is also bent but it does not curve all the way. The third sculpture is still curvy and organic, but it is pointed towards the sky
• sculptures appear to be dense, solid and heavy
• the surfaces of the sculptures appear to have a shiny colour, and it is slightly reflective of light. This is probably due to the smoothness of the stones which they were carved out from
• the colours are mainly tertiary, with a light sandy brown and it is considered to be monochromatic
• on a overall basis, the sculptures are not individually symmetrical, but they are balanced together as a group

2. Describe one of Antony Gormley’s installation, in relation to the concept of landart.

Title of work: Angel of the North

image source: Gates Head Council

Land Art or Earth Art is an art movement which emerged in America in the late 1960s and early 1970s, in which landscape and the work of art are inextricably linked. Sculptures are not placed in the landscape, rather the landscape is the very means of their creation. The works frequently exist in the open, located well away from civilization, left to change and erosion under natural conditions.

• Angle of the North is made from two hundred tonnes of steel and it had attracted attention since it was assembled on the site in February 1998
• This piece of work is considered a piece of land art and it is site specific
• This piece of land art consists of a human like figure which rises 20 meters and had a wingspan of 54 meters.
• the colour is copper-like, with a monochromatic brown tone which is probably due to its constant exposure to the external environment
• the forms are rigid and hard, and it has straight cuttings and it is symmetrical about its center
• angle of the north, like all land art, make use of the landscape as its means of creation
• it is also left to change and erosions under the natural conditions
• there are lines which protrude out from all over the body of the sculpture of the angel of the north, making it appear to be rather 3-dimensional and geometrical in nature

3 Compare and contrast these two artworks by paying attention to their concerns in art.

Similarities

• Both of these two artworks are site specific, and they are located in external environment and are sculptured out of man-made materials.
• Both works are found on land.
• Both works are monochromatic in colour, thus diverting the viewers’ attention from the use of colour, allowing them to concentrate on the shapes of the sculpture and also the message which is hidden behind the work.

Differences

• Han Sai Por is more concerned with the concept of growth of the different organisms and as a result, her works are usually more lined to the naturalistic things and they are usually of a smaller scale. In comparison, Antony is more concerned with the concept of unrealistic/man made things and his work is of a much larger scale.
• The Angel of the North is not a typical angle, it is more like  a modernized version of the angel. It is robotic, mechanical and rigid, as compared to Sai Por’s sculpture which is naturalistic, sinuous and flowing. This is known as the different in treatment of the forms.
• Sai Por’s work symbolize the continuousness and ever changing personality of nature, while Antony’s work have its figures appearing to be still and unshaken
• Sai Por’s work appears to be smooth, with a shiny colour surface while Antony’s work is brown in colour
• Sai Por’s work consists of 3 different small components while Antony’s work only consists of one big sculpture.

butterfly, fly fly fly

here are my final design for the butterfly which is to be used for coursework!

I will update with the progress of the butterfly/tree another time soon!

italy photos (milan,venice, rome, vantican)

swiss photoes (lucern, interlaken)

paris photos

comments and criticism IV–theresa’ blends and collages

I have never been great with IT related artworks so I always admire people who are able to do so. Theresa’s surely one of them. As we can see from the blends and collages clearly, she has controlled her use of adobe photo shop really well. Also, I feel that collages are cool because unlike other types of art, we get to experiment with all sorts of different forms and are able to assemble them together.

Personally, I like the first and second collage/blend the best. Both have been done in different styles with different colour schemes and thus projecting the viewers with a totally different feelings. The first one gives me a sense of dreamy, artistic, fairytale feel, as more soft touches are added to the blend. The composition has also been well-balanced in way that it is neither too elaborate nor lacking in details. The whole work evokes a feeling of elegance and feminism. Also, the flowers fit perfectly into the blend.  The colour range is quite tamed and it gives one a very soothing feel. I think Theresa has also placed the larger shot of Kirsten Dunst’s face very strategically, as her gaze seems to follow the direction of radial stripes, thus giving it more depth.

For the second piece of work, I really like the refreshing, cooling, sporty feeling which it creates across for its viewers. The choice of dominant colour–blue is excellent as it represents “refreshing” and “lively”. Also, I feel that the choice of pictures/flowers/curls is great for the theme — “frolicking on the beach” and suits the theme well. Both pieces of works have the figures cut out nicely and precisely using the polygonal lasso tool found in adobe photoshop.

However, what I do not really like about the 3rd piece of work is that it feels a little too messy. The use of contrasting colours namely grey and blue on different sides of the college/blend also makes it appear as though it is made up of two pieces of work instead of one coherent whole. Dividing up the collage at almost the center part also makes it look rigid. Perhaps the artist could have re-considered her choice of colour scheme and also the “cutting line” between the two different segments of the collage. However, what I do find interesting about Theresa’s collages/blends is in her use of different views of the same person! Great job there!

comments and criticism III-yinda’s photos

Here are some of the photographs taken by my fellow classmate-Yingda during her June trip to Uk. “WOW” is the only word which I can use to describe how I feel seeing her photographs! I feel that I have really a lot to learn from this AV club president! Anyway she had taken quite a number of photos and here are just the four which I like the best! I remember taking up a photography course in secondary 2 with the rest of my classmates, where we learnt about the shutter, aperture and the different modes which we can use under different lighting conditions. Yingda has used a Sony Alpha350. I really want a DSLR! However, before I get one, I must learn more about its usages. Don’t you think these photos are just so fabulous and instill a sense of urge in you to want to fly down to the UK too? For “Little Landmines on a tree”, I espcially like the use of lighting. The beam of light at the top right hand corner of the photo immediately captures the viewers’ attention, and the dark part of the photograph create a sense of mystery. I also like the way which the lighting has been focussed right at the center of the “Milenna bridge”. What I like about the “British Museum” is the patterns that have been captured. To quote yingda, “the beauty of life, captured in the art of photography.” All these patterns are those which could have been easily ignored if we were not to pay careful attention to them. However, with the use of a camera, they have been skillfully captured by Yingda! What I like about the last photograph–”catch” is again, its lighting. The lighting is on the little boy’s blond hair which gives it a feel of shine. Although the photograph may be still, it is as though if I can feel the performer performing his stun right in front of me! Excellent photographs. Inspired by Yingda, I have decided to take up photography courses after the End of Year exams! Taking photos is just the most beautiful way of capturing our lives! Don’t you agree? (:

for more of yingda’s works, please go to http://y1n9d4.wordpress.com

reminiscing europe trip 2008

Okay I am still missing Europe Trip 2008, so I decided to take some time out and work on a photo collage! It’s really a great tool, and we can work on it in whichever ways we like! Looking at these photos bring back so much memory, I really want to go back to Europe again. Travlling’s my favourite little thing, although this hobby is really expensive ):

I wish I could be a millionaire though so that I can travel around the world!

P.S I would make a scrap blog for all the countries I have been to these two years (UK, Combodia, New Zealand, Indonesia Bintan, India, Korea, France, Italy, Vaticaan City and Swiss) when I am free! I think scrapbooks are cool and they are pretty to look at too! (: scrap books are loved ((: