Liu Kang 1 & 2

Top Left: Artist and Model, Liu Kang, 1954,
Top Right: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, Paul Gauguin,
1897, Oil on canvas
Bottom Right: Liu Kang, Life by the River, 1975

What you need to know about the Liu Kang:

He was a member of the Nanyang Style. See the post on Georgette Chen for clarification on what the Nanyang Style IS.

Liu Kang is influenced by the Post-Impressionists: you can see the influence of Paul Gauguin on his work. The use of flat color and sylization are the most obvious of influences.

Many of Liu Kang's artworks are influenced by events in daily life. Like Gauguin, Liu Kang went to an exotic location to draw inspiration. For him, it was Bali, on a trip with the other Nanyang Artists. For Gauguin it was Tahiti.

The following text about the importance of the Bali trip has been borrowed from http://www.postcolonialweb.org/singapore/arts/painters/channel/12.html purely for educational review purposes. Click on the link to read the entire article.

"In 1952, Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi and Cheong Soo Pieng went on their historic field trip to Bali. While it would not be accurate to state that the Nanyang artists went to Bali because of Le Mayeur or even Gauguin's inspiration, Le Mayeur did create a deep impression of Bali in the Singapore art circle and, in fact, the artists met him during that trip.

The pioneers went to Bali mainly to search for a visual expression that was Southeast Asian. Not only did Bali offer them a rich visual source, the Balinese experience also revealed the ritualistic, experiential and decorative nature of Southeast Asian art -- a point which sets the Singapore story apart from the Gauguinian legend.

During and after the trip, images of Bali provided both the inspiration and visual sources which enabled the artists to crystalise their exploration of an aesthetic style in Singapore art.

In Artist and Model which shows Chen Wen Hsi sketching a Balinese woman, Liu Kang's dark outlines have become white -- an innovation which could have been inspired by batik painting. Painted in 1954, this work may be based on a sketch made during the artists' field trip to Bali two years earlier. Chen is seated, working on a sketching board propped on another rattan chair. This rhythmic repetition of chairs, further echoed by the number and arrangement of tea pot and cups on the round table makes the entire painting delightfully casual and whimsical.

Life by the River, a 1975 work, shows a village scene with busy human activity. Liu Kang is a master of composition. Depth in this painting is achieved more by the arrangement of shapes than by perspective, suggesting a pictorial sensitivity more in tune with the Chinese landscape tradition. The yellow walkway on the left and the river on the right not only echo each other, but also lead the viewer's attention to the houses in the distance."

Questions:

1. Discuss the stylistic differences in Liu Kang's work Artist and Model, done in 1954, and Life By the River, from 1975. Support your answer with historical information.

2. In what manner does Liu Kang's work show influence from that of Paul Gauguin. Include all possibilities, both visual and historical.