Pansies
Georgette Chen
1940-1947
- YEAR:1940-1947
- MEDIUM:Oil on canvas
- DIMENSIONS:55.5 x 46.3 cm
Introduction
Georgette Chen, daughter of Zhang Jingjiang-the “legendary eccentric of the Republican era”- was educated in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. After settling in Singapore in 1954, she became one of Singapore’s “six pioneer artists” and the only female pioneer of the “Nanyang School.” In the 1940s, when China was in the midst of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Chen and her husband, Eugene Chen, were placed under house arrest by the Japanese army in Shanghai. Chen used painting as a means to escape from her daily life, and Pansies is an essential work from this period. Rendered in soft tones and graceful brushwork, it does not strive for strict realism, yet preserves the details and textures of the objects. The colours harmonize beautifully, creating an atmosphere of elegance, restraint, warmth, and tranquility. In the background, the antique headboard and side table overlap to form a subtly varied spatial depth, revealing rich layers within a shallow depth of field—offering, amid turbulent times, a quiet sanctuary for the soul.
