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Lot Essay
CHUA EK KAY: LYRICISM IN INK
The following works (Lot 307-310) are presented from a single private collection, with original ownership being traced back to the brother of Chua Ek Kay, Chua Eio Hoong. With impeccable provenance, the works showcase Chua's recognizable style of the lotus pond series, as well as a rare glimpse at his early style of xieyi painting.
With a symphonic lyricism, Singaporean artist Chua Ek Kay presents the intangible spontaneity of life and emotion through his works. Known for his innovative approach to the traditional medium of Chinese ink, Chua's expert handling of space within his compositions and his bold strokes of black ink interspersed with vivid washes of colour place him as an important figure in a consideration of the legacy of ink painting within Southeast Asia.
Having been trained by Fan Chang Tien who was himself a student of the renowned Shanghai School (see Lot 442), Chua's admiration of his teacher's skill and of the expressive xieyi style of painting is clearly exhibited in rare examples of his early works Lotus Flower (Lot 308) and Chinese Cabbage (Lot 309). These works are essential in understanding the later development of Chua's style, hinting at Chua's early confidence with ink – by embracing the absorbent qualities of the medium, even his still life compositions are rendered with an unflinching vitality.
The lotus pond series is perhaps Chua's most well-known body of work, characterised by quickly applied strokes of black ink that convey a strength and unyielding quality despite their delicate form. Tightly composed, After the Rain (Lot 307) suggests the frenzied activity of life that returns after a rainstorm. With an expert mixing of subtly differing shades of blue, green amidst the black ink, Chua achieves in evoking an atmosphere that is at once refreshing and contemplative.
In Lavender (Lot 310) Chua introduces flecks of gold and pastel purple beneath layers of controlled black lines and ink. Where colour within traditional Chinese painting is applied with calculated intent and in the service of expressing something beyond the tonalities of black ink, Chua achieves in rendering an intriguing composition that highlights the tenacity and beauty of life as we observe the bloom of his delicate flowers.
The following works (Lot 307-310) are presented from a single private collection, with original ownership being traced back to the brother of Chua Ek Kay, Chua Eio Hoong. With impeccable provenance, the works showcase Chua's recognizable style of the lotus pond series, as well as a rare glimpse at his early style of xieyi painting.
With a symphonic lyricism, Singaporean artist Chua Ek Kay presents the intangible spontaneity of life and emotion through his works. Known for his innovative approach to the traditional medium of Chinese ink, Chua's expert handling of space within his compositions and his bold strokes of black ink interspersed with vivid washes of colour place him as an important figure in a consideration of the legacy of ink painting within Southeast Asia.
Having been trained by Fan Chang Tien who was himself a student of the renowned Shanghai School (see Lot 442), Chua's admiration of his teacher's skill and of the expressive xieyi style of painting is clearly exhibited in rare examples of his early works Lotus Flower (Lot 308) and Chinese Cabbage (Lot 309). These works are essential in understanding the later development of Chua's style, hinting at Chua's early confidence with ink – by embracing the absorbent qualities of the medium, even his still life compositions are rendered with an unflinching vitality.
The lotus pond series is perhaps Chua's most well-known body of work, characterised by quickly applied strokes of black ink that convey a strength and unyielding quality despite their delicate form. Tightly composed, After the Rain (Lot 307) suggests the frenzied activity of life that returns after a rainstorm. With an expert mixing of subtly differing shades of blue, green amidst the black ink, Chua achieves in evoking an atmosphere that is at once refreshing and contemplative.
In Lavender (Lot 310) Chua introduces flecks of gold and pastel purple beneath layers of controlled black lines and ink. Where colour within traditional Chinese painting is applied with calculated intent and in the service of expressing something beyond the tonalities of black ink, Chua achieves in rendering an intriguing composition that highlights the tenacity and beauty of life as we observe the bloom of his delicate flowers.