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THE ART OF JAMES TAN |
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BEYOND THE
TRADITIONAL
Man Life &
Style Feb. - Mar. 1989 BY KELLY CHOPARD
He has
participated in 32 art exhibitions, 13 of which were one-man shows. His
works are exhibited in several countries and found in museum collections
and government organizations. Hotels and banks have commissioned him to
do work for them. Topping the list of this extraordinary man's
achievements is probably the Glass Hotel in Singapore which ordered
1,000 paintings. Even the Emir of oil-rich Bahrain owns an original in
his private collection.
Critics
from several countries and well-known Singapore Art Impresario, Delia
Butcher, unanimously agree that he may one day be hailed as one of the
finest Chinese brush painters of the century.
This
distinction belongs to 37-year- old Singapore artist James Tan, an
exponent of the Lingnan School of art. It has been said many times that
he has perfected the technique of venturing beyond the traditional yet
keeping the valued technique of the brush strokes in traditional Chinese
paintings.
The Lingnan
School is characterized by being freer than traditional Chinese
painting. It allows the artist to infuse his own feelings,
interpretation of subject-matter and emotions into the painting. It does
not demand a dogmatic approach in terms of technique or style.
Because of
this one can trace the growth of the artist, notice his mood at a
particular period and study the influences he has been exposed to as the
years pass.
Like
Western art, it encourages the artist to interpret the subject in his
own way. Unlike the traditional Chinese school, which leaves the
background white, Lingnan artists wash the back-ground to create a mood.
Another difference is that it relies less on brush-work and so permits
the artist freedom to explore, create and innovate.
The Lingnan
School developed in southern China shortly after the Qing dynasty came
to an end in 1911. The initiators of this movement were "three Masters"
who were art graduates from Japan. They lived in a period of
revolutionary fervors set ablaze by Dr Sun Yat-Sen when the influx of
western thought and culture was at its height. It is there-fore not
surprising that changes took place in the artistic field.
Lingnan art
is a marriage between East and West. It employs traditional Chinese
brushwork, combines this with western artistic techniques and
incorporate-rates some elements from the Geshan school of Japanese art.
It was born
in an area in the Guang-dong province and it was some time be-fore
traditional artists accepted this revolutionary style.
Today
paintings done in the Lingnan style are appreciated and much-sought
after not only by Chinese art lovers but by art enthusiasts everywhere.
James Tan
finds that anyone can identify with Lingnan art because it in-corporate
both worlds and can there-fore fit into any decor.
James Tan
after graduating from the Singapore Academy of Art took a correspondence
course in painting from the famed master of the Lingnan School.
Professor Au Ho-Nine. "It wasn't easy. Each month he sent me eight
samples of art to copy, with instructions like, first you paint the
branches, then the flowers, followed by the birds," James recalled.
Then in 1973
he got his big break. He met a Chinese artist living in the States who
invited him over to be his helper. James suddenly found himself painting
furiously to forget how home-sick he was.
Loneliness
seemed to pay off as he had enough paintings to participate in
exhibitions in a country that was becoming increasingly interested in
China. The exposure was good and James found himself even teaching art.
I
recently met one of his former pupils from the States, Florence Spiering,
a charming grey-haired matron visiting Singapore who said, "I used to
travel 60 miles once a week for my art lessons. I wasn't the only one.
All sorts of people came including bankers, businessmen and ladies of
leisure. People were fascinated by the number of paintings James
produced and wondered at how he found time to teach as well. We loved
his art and we loved learning from him."
Apparently
it's no different now that he's back in Singapore. He manages to combine
paining, me business 01 selling his work, traveling abroad to make
exhibition arrangements and teach be-tween 60-80 pupils.
Despite
this, James still finds time to help the less fortunate. Recently he did
10 special paintings for the National Kidney Foundation which were
reproduced into lunar New Year cards. The first thing you notice when
you realistic and exude a feeling of serenity. Colours are muted yet
fresh. Another trademark is that a subject is never alone in a scenic
setting. This apparently reflects the artist's philosophy.
"I feel that
to really appreciate beauty one must share it with someone, that's why I
guess I tend to project this in my work," he mused. A prolific artist
needs to expose him-self to the world in order to get ideas and
inspiration.
"I visit beautiful places because when I see beauty I
drink it in and somehow they find their way into the paintings," he
explained. Looking at the multitude of finished, partly completed and
framed paintings is mind boggling. One wonders how one person can
produce so much so fast, without sacrificing quality.
"Oh I am very strict about quality. I destroy anything
that is not good," James assured me with a laugh, pointing to a huge
basket of discards.
At a recent exhibition I viewed over 100 paintings and
marveled at his ability to portray action in his work. Fishes appear to
swim, birds seem to glide, rivers wind their way lazily down gentle
mountain slopes. People when present seem, like us, to view the
captivating scene be-fore them.
This ability, says James, comes from studying nature and
man carefully. One would say that his mind's eye is almost a camera. He
is able to paint an evocative picture in words. His description of the
awesome Himalayas, the wonders of the Grand Canyon, the view from the
Great Wall and cherry blossom time in Japan make us almost 'see' the
scene so it's understandable that he is able to put these mind pictures
on paper so realistically.
If one were to analyze the reason for James' success one
would say that his art has a basic universal appeal. It is an honest
representation of life. There is no pretension. It is easily understood
and visually pleasing.
The paintings are a comfortable blend of East and West.
He has managed to evolve a style that is contemporary yet elements of
traditional Chinese in-fluencies are always present. If I were asked to
describe the work of James Tan in one word, that word would be harmony.
But the artist himself is not satisfied. He admits that
he is continuously experimenting. "The Lingnan style allows me to
improvise so I keep trying to achieve the ultimate," he said.
