VISUAL ARTIST - TAN CHOH TEE
QUOTATIONS
"I used a number of media, including ink and watercolour, I found the variety rather distracting, I prefer working in a focused manner, dealing with one thing, looking deeply into it, mastering it and its complexities. So I made a decision to concentrate on one medium. I find oil challenging. It has a physical dimension which appeals to me and suits the way I approach painting. Oil has a density, a heaviness which captures certain sensations both optically and physically. There is also possible in oil a range light effects which are not possible in other media. Finally there is the question of texture; the surface can be worked up and all kinds of effects can be produced. I am still exploring and learning."
"I hope that more of my personality, my culture would come through my painting. I hope my work will reflect the richness of the orient. The East has a long history and rich tradition of arts which we can tap. Some Western artists are turning in that director for resources, we, in the East, ignore it at our own peril. I foresee that subject matter in my painting will become simpler. I do not see myself heading towards abstract painting because I think a viewer should know what an artist is trying to depict by looking at the painting. I am not suggesting that abstraction is not good. It is just not my cup of tea, and I will not force myself to engage in it. I must find a style that suits me best and then work at it."
"I was very much influenced by Impressionists in the early part of my career. Their method of painting, in the open air in front of the subject, appealed to me. In that situation, all kinds of sensations and feelings are released and these are influential in shaping my perception. This method stills remains with me; I have to be there, physically. Then there was the Impressionist use of colour, the way it was applied on the sruface, the immediacy, spontaneity are important. I do not use photographs; they do not have the freshness which I get by actually seeing a scene. Of course, over the years I have developed a technique that is suitable for me and it is removed from the Impressionists."
`I am trying to evolve a personal style which is a blend of Chinese and Western art.
This is why after studying Western painting at the Nanyang Academy, I went on to study Chinese brush painting under Chen Wen Hsi. In this way I hope to marry the two traditions by using Chinese brush-strokes in Western oil painting.
I have always been using both Chinese ink and oil media but I concentrated on Chinese ink in the period 1962-1970. Since 1970 I have been concentrating on oil painting.
Scenes are always painted on location so that my feelings can be transferred directly to the painting. Still-life fruit and vegetables are painted indoors on rainy days.
I love the oil building of Singapore and am fighting with the bulldozer and urban renewal to capture them on canvas before they are torn down. When I will paint after these places have disappeared remains to be seen. Perhaps more painting trips overseas?’
