Born in Guangdong Province, China, Chen Chong Swee (1910-1985) came to Singapore in 1931 shortly after graduating from Xinhua Academy of Art, Shanghai. He co-founded the Salon Art Society (now the Singapore Society of Chinese Artists) in 1935 and was a teacher with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for over 20 years. In 1952, Chen, together with fellow artists Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang, went on what would eventually turn out be a historically significant trip to Bali, Indonesia in search of new inspiration and subject matter. As one of the first artists instrumental in developing the Nanyang Style, Chen pioneered attempts to interpret local landscapes according to the Chinese concept of pictorial composition with Western watercolour techniques. Chen painted scenes that were familiar to all as he believed that the objective of a painting must be understood by the viewer. Here, is a typical kampong scene of a Malay woman, perhaps after grocery shopping, walking towards an attap hut. Trained in Chinese ink painting, Chen’s skilful handling of the brush and tonal variation is especially evident in the drawing of the hut and depth suggested by the near and distant coconut trees. This work is an example of Chen’s attempt at depicting local subject matter in traditional Chinese ink painting style and format.
