Tan Tee Chie陈世集
Society and culture:
Ways of life
Tan Tee Chie 陈世集• 1928-2011• Born in Hainan• Graduated from NAFA in 1951• Lectured there
• Art critic, calligrapher, painter, seal carver
Tan Tee Chie - Brobak Birds Competition, 1966, woodcut, 48x63 cm
Woodcut
• Carve away unwanted parts of wooden block• Cover with pigment, and print
• Tan Tee Chie was inspired by woodcut movement in China (1930s-40s)
Li Hua – Roar, China!, 1935, woodcut
Tan Tee Chie - Brobak Birds Competition1966Woodcut48x63 cm
• Depicting a bird singing competition
• Bird cages hung from poles in field
• Spectators of all races, as seen from clothes/skin
• Judges at table with trophies
• Some vegetation in background
Tan Tee Chie - Brobak Birds Competition1966Woodcut48x63 cm
• Clear outlines
• Variations in thickness and spacing of lines to create tones, textures, patterns etc. (e.g. leaves, fabric etc.)
• Does not follow linear perspective
• But still has sense of space and depth – Objects recede into space
Tan Tee Chie - Brobak Birds Competition1966Woodcut48x63 cm
• Contrast between
• Tightly packed crowd at bottom, almost a grey mass
• Birdcages at top, strong outlines standing out strongly from white background
• Contrast and space
• We follow the gaze of the crowd
Tan Tee Chie - Brobak Birds Competition1966Woodcut48x63 cm
• Ways of life back then
• Depicting common pastime of that period
• Simple lifestyle conveyed through straightforward composition and simplification of details
Tan Tee Chie – Cigarette Seller/Transaction, 1953, woodcut
Tan Tee Chie – Family, 1961, oil on canvas, 76x61 cm
Tan Tee Chie – 2 Carps, ink on paper
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mr-Tan-Tee-Chie-%E9%99%88%E4%B8%96%E9%9B%86%E8%80%81%E5%B8%88-In-memory-of-our-beloved-teacher/150673584988090
References• http://tfcsea.nafa.edu.sg/artist_biography.aspx?id=33• http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/press_release/1998/
imprints_on_singapore_art.pdf • http://www.nus.edu.sg/museum/forms/
simplifiedWrkSheetConstructedLandscapes.pdf • https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mr-Tan-Tee-Chie-
%E9%99%88%E4%B8%96%E9%9B%86%E8%80%81%E5%B8%88-In-memory-of-our-beloved-teacher/150673584988090
• http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/9polwood.htm