Cultivated Ink And Expressive Color
- The Art of Nai Swee Leng
Art and Character
I made the acquaintance of
the artist Nai Swee Leng on this day three years ago , on a cool autumn day in Hangzhou
City , Zhejiang province , China . We had a pleasant chat at my residence , I was
immediately impressed by his sobre and frank demeanor . As time went by I got to know him
better and have only praise for his character : he has nothing of the arrogance ,
obstinacy or flippancy sometimes observed in talented people . He is humble , sincere and
passionately devoted to art , a true-blue artist in every sense of the word . Whenever I
am on a visit to Singapore , we would spend time together and what I observe of him is
indeed inspiring . Swee Leng cherishes friendships and respects his teachers ; in all
relationships he invariably reveals a magnanimity and honesty that is reminiscent of
virtues of the antiquated age . No wonder he wins admiration from one and all . In his
company , I always feel relaxed and refreshed , invigorated and stimulated ; ours is a
friendship that I deeply cherish .
Virtue constitutes an
important aspect in traditional Chinese culture . The art masters from the dynasties were
revered for high morals and stressed the parallel between art and character cultivation .
I remember that artist Pan Tianshou used to mention why the calligraphy style of Qin Kui ,
the notorious traitor of southern Song dynasty , had no follower , and how even his
descendants who stood before his grave felt overwhelmingly ashamed . Such an emphasis on
the influence of morals upon one’s acheivement has a deep impact on generations of
pupils - it is indeed the essence of our culture and deserves to be passed on .
Whenever he recalls his past
experience in learning , Swee Leng would remember his teacher Fan Chang Tien , the
renowned Nanyang ink painter , with fondness , not forgetting to mention , at the same
time , his deep reverence for Wu Changshuo , Huang Binhong and Pan Tianshou - the three
great doyens of Chinese art . To him , an exquisite is the voice of the heart of the
artist , there is no room for double personality in art . It is clear that he has been
enriched by traditional values , which is one of the factors that make his work so moving
and appealing .
Passionate Pursuit
In any society, art has
always been dependent on conditions of politics and economics, and the challenge for an
artist is to strike a balance between personal interest and social conditions. But harder
still is his ability to view material gain in perspective and maintain a purity of heart
amid a highly commercialized and competitive society. Without a sense of devotion to art,
Swee Leng wouldn’t have been able to keep the perfect balance between earning a
livelihood and pursuing his interest. When I ponder the implication of "Ink stone
Cultivation Studio" (yang yan lou) -- a name which he gave to his studio, I am all
the more convinced that what nourishes his ink-and-brush skill is not only hard work,
genius and scholarship but also the traditional ethics that he puts into practice. Art is
his love as well as his career and channel of expression; it is an engagement that has
taken him thirty years to develop. One can only imagine the labor behind the bountiful
harvest he is enjoying today! An artist who enslaves himself to his art in intoxication,
regarding his pursuit sometimes with irony and other times, with pride and satisfaction
goes through an emotional journey little known to outsiders. As a fellow artist, I’m
sure if we were to talk about it face-to-face , my comments on him are sure to bring a
bitter-sweet smile to Swee Leng’s lips. There is much truth in the fact that the love
for art cannot be sustained without a certain measure of perseverance and obsession .
Inheritance and Innovation
Methods are important in the
learning of art . Swee Leng had the benefit of an early art education by the late Mr Fan
Chang Tien , a pioneer of Singapore art . Because Mr Fan was influenced by the style of Wu
Changshuo , Swee Leng made his entrance into Chinese painting through the Shanghai School
. This was followed by studying the work of art masters of the dynasties such as Pan
Tianshou , Huang BinHong , and Ren Bonian . He was deeply schooled in the essence of the
xieyi (expressive) style of ink painting which led to the formation of a majestic and
solid style . In later years , he enrolled in the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts to study
Western painting . It came as no surprise then , when an early painting of rambutan (a
hairy tropical fruit) by him which I spotted among the collection of the Lee Kong Chian
Museum at the National University of Singapore amazed me with its high standard and traces
of ingenuity . It makes good the common saying that famous teachers always produce fine
students .
Swee Leng believes that
success in art comes from seventy percent hard work and thirty percent talent , that
without hard work a gifted person will end up nowhere . This spring , I had the
opportunity to spend more time in Singapore and observe him at work . When he set brush to
paper , he has a clear conception of idea , which he executes with flourishing ink and
steady brushwork ; now with slow strokes , now with speedy ones . Every dot , line and ink
splash is produced with sure hand . There is so much to savor in the energetic strokes ,
fine ink tones and brilliant , elegant colors ; the composition exudes such clarity and
liveliness that it delights its viewers and draws applause from them . Art enthusiasts
praise Swee Leng’s work , saying that watching him paint is a thoroughly enjoyable
experience . I can’t agree more . The artist explores a wide variety of subjects
including the conventional plum , orchid , bamboo and chrysanthemum , as well as flower ,
bird, insect and fish . In his hand these subjects turn into spontaneous and vivid
pictures of beauty . In composition he displays flexibility , freshness and visual
interest ; with the occasional renditions of landscape boasting the quality of innovation
.
In early 1980s , Swee Leng
studied painting with Chao Shao-an and his style went through a change . Not only are his
new works tinged with scholarly aesthetics , they also exude a tropical flavour from
subjects rarely explore by traditional ink painters . Thus was born a unique personal
style . At the same time , Swee Leng has travelled widely to China , Japan, Europe , USA ,
Middle East and countries of South-east Asia . The exposure he gained from these trips
enabled him to widen his vision and take advantage of the strengths of the various schools
. Such immersions also bolstered his efforts in innovation and strengthened his endeavors
in the formation of a distinctve style .
It is a style which can be
traced back to a solid tradition and yet carries a strong personal stamp - a style that
won him regonition as one of the most influential and outstanding ink painters of thye
Nanyang (South-east Asia) region . The accomplishment of Swee Leng may be captured in the
phrase that " the fragrance of the plum blossom originates from its sturdiness in
weathering the biting cold of winter " .
Brilliant Prospect
There is almost always a
story of struggle behind every successful personality . Swee Leng was born into poor
family . The long years of hardship he has to endure only made him stronger in spirit ,
and have engraved a streak of quiet simplicity and weightiness in his brushwork , which is
graceful and powerful , seasoned and majestic .
In recent years , Swee Leng
having achieved technical competence , has sought to elevate himself to a higher plane :
he is working towards the deepening of the aesthetics of his art . He is well aware of the
rich philosophical and culture undertones of the xieyi (expressive) ink painting and the
need to continue cultivating his character , so as to purify his spirit and raise himself
to achieve breakthroughs in his art . In his decades of practice , Swee Leng has sought to
create depth in his work in search of higher aesthtic realms . Such " Marathon "
attempts at refreshing and revitalising one’s art in gradual transformation testify
to the deepening of the artist’s spirit and the consummation of his art . Typical of
an artist with an experimental interest , when Swee Leng looks back on a fruitful career ,
he must do so with hopes for a brighter future . The artist is in his prime now and looks
set to probe new territory . I am confident that with his heartfelt passion , intelligence
and iron will matched by a dogged determination , he will enjoy a greater success in time
to come .
By Wu Yongliang
Professor, China Art Academy
In the autumn of 1993 , at Spring Wood Studio by
West Lake , Hangzhou