Vincent Van Gogh vs. Georgette Chen

23Jun09

Done in Sec 3; I think it was a timed trial?

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a) Describe the subject matter of each of these two paintings, including the environment in which they are positioned.

     In Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889, he is depicted wearing a green coat and a grayish-black, fur-rimmed cap, with a white bandage around his face. His brows are slightly furrowed, and his face looks slightly gaunt and tense and rather unnatural, perhaps because of his would from cutting of his ear still hurting. He appears to be seared and leaning slightly to his right, in a typical portraiture posture. In the background there is an easel, on which is resting a canvas that appears to be painted in some places; a painting that has yet to be finished. To the left of the easel is what looks like a Japanese print that shows two Japanese ladies in the traditional Japanese Kimono, with trees and hills in the background, as well as something that looks like a branch of the cherry blossom that borders the top of the print.

     Georgette Chen’s Self-Portrait, 1946 is a close up of her neck and face that fills the whole picture plane. She is painted with long, thin arching eyebrows and strikingly piercing eyes, even though her eyes appear to be slightly narrowed. Her chin is up, and her hair is curled elaborately from above her ear and all the way to the back of her head. The prim, yet relaxed lips that are painted crimson complements the rest of her features and her elegant poise, along with the classic mandarin collar of the cheongsam is a grand pairing of gold and black colours. The background is a beige colour in varying shades, from which her face stands out strikingly.

 

b) Describe the use of colour, brushwork and space in each of the works. State their influences if any.

     Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear is painted with thick, choppy brushstrokes of pure colour that creates much texture for the painting. Each element of the painting is painted by putting colours of the same shade side by side. The green coat he is wearing is outlined with black, as is his cap, while his face and features are highlighted by varying shades of the same colour. The background, however, has hardly any form of highlighting, and are almost blocks of solid colours painted with rather flat colours, with only the strong visible brushstrokes that gives it the only form of texture. The painting is relatively well balanced, but the way the background is painted makes the whole picture look relatively flat, as like Van Gogh’s style. The strong outlines of the coat in black reflects Van Gogh’s influence by Japanese prints, this reinforced by the Japanese print on the wall of his room in the background, while the short and choppy brushstrokes are likely influence from Impressionisms, as is the juxtaposing of colours to create shades. The flat colour planes also show influence by his friend Paul Gauguin, post-impressionist, as well as Paul Cezanne.

     Georgette Chen studied art in Western art capitals such as Paris and New York, as well as lived Shanghai and Hong Kong during the year Self-Portrait, 1946, was painted. Hence, it shows influence from both western as well as eastern art. The colours used in Self-Portrait are mainly beige and black, and are painted with relatively smooth brushstrokes. Meager, varying shades of beige contour her face, as well as the background, which makes the painting look very much like Chinese watercolour paintings which probably influenced this painting as she was living in China then. Her face fills up most of the picture, with little visible background. However, the varying shades of beige used to paint the background do give a sense of space, albeit the fact that the space seems to be very small, as if she painted herself against the wall. The painting reminds one slightly of Paul Cezanne’s works, which uses different shades of the same colour to create shadows and highlights. The painting is a mix of influences of eastern and western art, as it is painted in a way strikingly similar to the Chinese ink paintings with Western oil paints.

 

c) Name another Southeast Asian artist, and describe another self-portrait. Interpret the artist’s intention from the named work.

     Bayu Utomo Radjikin’s “Monologue at Tate Britain” depicts him with his hand over his mouth, deep in thought. In the background are the Corinthian pillars of Tate Britain, 3 maple leaves scattered over the picture plane. The pillars in the background are painted using mainly shades of green and yellow. Radjikin’s self-portrait in the painting shows a clear light source, with one side of his face in deep shadow and his forehead reflecting light. The brown Asian skin tone is clear, as is the details in his figures. There is also a hint of drip painting that gives the Corinthian pillars a sense of authenticity. The base colour of the picture is black, causing the elements in the picture to stand out. The excerpt from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is superimposed on top of the pillars in light blue, starkingly detached from the rest of the painting and its colour theme.

     The maple leaves, common and representative of the fall season, are depicted one in green, and the other two in reddish brown. As an artwork from a Southeast Asian artist, more precisely a member of the Malaysian community, the minority of the leaves being in green and scientifically alive could represent the erosion of culture and roots of his country. The work is also titled “Monologue” instead of “Conversation” like the rest of the series, hinting that the painter is keeping his thoughts and worries to himself.

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I think part c) was done horribly. I was running out of time and of things to say, so it was relatively short, for one. Don’t have the original beside me right now, so I don’t know my score…I think it was somewhere around 25/30? Or it might have been lower; really can’t remember, and my apologies if I make any mistakes…

 

boonny

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