Born in Fuzhou, China, Yeh Chi Wei (1915-1981) is included among a group referred to as Singapore’s “first generation artists”. Graduating from Shanghai’s Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts in 1936, Yeh worked as an art teacher throughout Malaya and Singapore until 1964, while an active member of various art groups. He was especially noted in having started a series of painting trips since 1960 to various Southeast Asian and Asian countries under the Ten Men Group, as well as the Ten Men Art Exhibitions after such trips.‘Mountain View’, ‘Untitled’ (Accession No. P-0755) and ‘Untitled’ (Accession No. P-0758) offer a glimpse into Yeh’s landscape paintings. Although the two untitled works are undated, ‘Mountain View’ was executed in 1978 – this is interesting considering Yeh’s style was leaning towards a stylised semi-abstraction around the mid-1970s. Yet, this 1978 painting (as well as the other two) recalls hints of the impressionistic painterly approach Yeh took to painting at the start of his career. Regardless, all three works are filled with the majestic awe of nature, while ‘Untitled’ (P-0758) strongly references the traditional Chinese painting format.
