Somet.mes s when I think that I am the product of four world events, all wars – two Chinese revolutions, the first and second World Wars in all of which I have been inexorably involved, the wonder is that my profession should have been one of good-will and peace!
Georgette Chen made significant contributions to the development of modern art in Asia and stands as the most celebrated first-generation female pioneer of Nanyang Art movement. Working in a male-dominated art community, Chen pioneered the Nanyang style alongside Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi and Cheong Soo Pieng, who had all migrated from China. As an international Chinese artist herself, Chen was born in Zhejiang, China, and received her education in Paris, New York and Shanghai. She exhibited her works in France, the USA and China before moving to Singapore in 1953, where she would teach at the Nanyang Academy of Replica Handbags s (NAFA) for over 20 years until her retirement in 1980.
Executed in 1963, during her t.mes in Singapore, Orchid (Vanda) hails from a highly coveted period in the artist’s distinguished career. In the tropical haven of Malaya, Chen discovered indigenous fruits, such as durians and mangosteens, and flowers, such as orchids and lilies. These still life subjects would form the bedrock of her oeuvre, inspiring her to explore new possibilities and perspectives within her work.
Chen was so particularly preoccupied with the vibrant orchid, often revisiting various genera within the orchid family, such that the orchid has long been considered her favorite flower to paint. The present work is larger than any of the four paintings of orchids by Chen that grace the permanent collects ion of the National Gallery Singapore.
The Vanda Miss Joaquim, from the same family as that in the present lot, has been celebrated as Singapore's national flower since 1981, chosen for its bright colours, hardiness and resilience. The orchid is also the flower most associated with hybrids, symbolizing the nation's multicultural heritage. In traditional Chinese culture, the orchid is revered as the "flower of the noble-minded" and serves as a spiritual emblem. Throughout Chinese history, the orchid has been cherished by literati and scholars. For instance, in the Chinese ink painting Ink Orchid by the Southern Song Dynasty artist Zheng Sixiao, the orchid is not depicted growing in the soil. Rather, its roots and leaves float gracefully in the air. Georgette Chen skillfully captures these distinctive qualities of the orchid and utilizes it as a metaphorical expression of her nostalgic sent.mes nts towards her homeland, representing not only her yearning for her birthplace in China but also symbolizing Singapore, her cherished home country. This dual significance of the orchid epitomizes the journey of the Chinese diaspora in the Nanyang region.
collects ion of Osaka City Museum of Replica Handbags s, Japan
In the present lot, the flowers were painted with a fresh palette of bright pinks, warm peaches, and soft oranges. She meticulously paints the other sections of the plant, utilizing various tones of green to paint the long leaves, which originate from a slatted wooden basket with long roots protruding outwards, allowing her to experiment with more earthy tones. The backdrop is enlivened with motioning strokes in varying directions that follow the outline of the primary subject matter, in a manner akin to that seen in paintings by Vincent van Gogh. The gentle grey hues, peppered with warm oranges and cool greens, in the background, manifest a sense of nostalgia and highlight her refined brushwork.
Chen evidently paid close attention to the arrangement of her subject matter in order to present a multi-perspective composition and leave viewers enchanted by a subtle optical experience. While the flowers are in full view, each one facing a different direction, the overall plant itself is cropped, and the wooden basket is angled, revealing the soil. The entire pot is gently suspended in midair, gently hung by four thin wires secured to the corners of the basket, causing the pot to appear weightless and permeating the work with a sense of levity. The artist would have seen this subject close-up and slightly above eye level, bringing forth a sense of intimacy to the composition.
collects ion of Long Museum, Shanghai
Test.mes nt to her importance in Singapore's art history, Chen received Singapore's Cultural Medallion in 1982, and in 2020, the National Gallery Singapore staged Georgette Chen: At Home in the World, the first major museum retrospective of the artist in more than two decades, focusing on her lasting legacy in the development of Singapore's artistic landscape and featuring works from various institutional and private collects ions.
The present work was shown in her retrospective solo exhibition at the National Museum Art Gallery in Singapore in 1985 and National Gallery in Kuala Lumpur in 1986. Illustrations of this painting are found in A Brief History of Malayan Art, a book written in Mandarin by Marco Hsü in 1963, and then translated to English and published in 1999, as well as the exhibition catalogue of Chen’s retrospective show at the National Museum Art Gallery in Singapore in 1985.
Sotheby’s Spotlight: Rishika Assomull and Michelle Yaw on Female Artists
張荔英對亞洲現代藝術的發展作出了重大貢獻，是南洋藝術運動中最傑出的第一代女性先驅。在男性主導的藝術界中，張荔英與劉抗、陳宗瑞、陳文希和鍾泗濱等從中國移居海外的藝術家一起開創了南洋畫派風格。作為一名國際華人女性藝術家，張荔英出生於中國浙江，曾在巴黎、紐約和上海等地接受教育，其作品亦曾在法國、美國和中國展出。她於1953年移居新加坡，並在南洋藝術學院任教逾20年，直至1980年退休。
1963年，張荔英於新加坡創作《萬代蘭》，亦屬其藝術生涯黃金時期的代表作之一。在熱帶天堂馬來亞， 張荔英發現了榴蓮和山竹等當地水果，還有蘭花和百合等各種花卉。這些靜物成為她靈感的來源，啟發她 在作品中探索新的可能性和觀點。張荔英對生機勃勃的蘭花情有獨鍾，經常繪畫蘭花家族中的各個屬種， 因此蘭花一直是她最喜歡的花卉之一。《萬代蘭》比張荔英另外四幅被新加坡國家美術館列為永久館藏的蘭花更大尺幅，實屬難得之作。
與畫中花卉屬同一家族的卓錦萬代蘭（Vanda Miss Joaquim）自1981 年起被譽為新加坡的國花。它因色彩鮮豔、生命力頑強而享有盛名。蘭花作為一種雜交品種，象徵著新加坡的多元文化傳統。在中國傳統文化中，蘭花更被譽為「君子之花」，是中國文化的精神象徵。自古以來，蘭花為文人雅士所喜，南宋畫家鄭思肖所繪的《墨蘭圖》中，蘭花不生長於土壤中，連根帶葉都飄於空中。張荔英巧妙地體現了蘭花的這些獨特特質，並借用它作為抒發情感的隱喻，以此表達她對離鄉背井的思念之情。這不僅代表了她對出生地故鄉的思念，也象徵著她所稱之為「家」的新加坡，具有雙重意義。
日本大阪市立美術館藏
本作中，花朵以明亮的粉色、溫暖的桃色以及柔和的橙色為主調。她精心刻畫了植物的其他部分，巧妙運 用各種綠色勾勒出細長的葉子。這些葉子從一個木製花籃中延伸出來，根部向外舒展，讓她得以用上多種 大地色調。不同方向的筆觸生動勾勒出花的輪廓，底色也因而鮮活起來。這種繪畫風格與荷蘭表現主義的先驅文森・梵谷非常類似。暖橙和冷綠點綴着柔和的灰調底色，營造出一種懷舊感覺，同時也凸顯了張荔英精緻的筆觸。顯然，張荔英非常注重主題佈局，以呈現多視角的構圖，讓觀者陶醉在微妙的視覺體驗中。雖然花朵一覽無遺，但每朵花都朝向不同的方向，植物整體被裁剪，木製花籃傾斜，露出土壤。整個花盆被花籃四角的四根細線輕輕吊起，懸在半空中，使花盆看起來毫無重量，整幅畫作充滿了輕盈感。張荔英在略高於視平線的近距離觀察這個主題，為構圖帶來了親密感。
上海龍美術館藏
因其在新加坡藝術史上的重要地位，張荔英於1982年獲得了新加坡文化勳章。2020年，新加坡國家美術館舉辦了主題為「張荔英：此心安處」的大型回顧展。這是該藝術家二十多年來首次在大型美術館舉辦的回顧展，著重展示她對新加坡藝術風景發展的持久影響，並展出來自不同機構和私人珍藏的作品。此作曾在1985年和1986年分別於新加坡國立博物館美術館和吉隆坡國家美術館的回顧個展中展出。有關這幅畫的詳 細解說可見於瑪戈於1963年以華文撰寫的《馬來亞藝術簡史》一書（該著作後來被翻譯成英文並於1999年出版），以及1985年在新加坡國立博物館美術館舉辦的張荔英回顧展之展覽目錄。