Theme 1 >> Self Identity

SELF IDENTITY

The Oxford dictionary defines identity as the ‘fact of being who or what a person or thing is.’  However, we cannot regard identity as being purely factual especially when looking at art; identity may be assumed, harnessed or expressed in many ways so as to convey different perceptions.    When looking at the theme of identity in art, it is important to think about what the artist is trying to communicate to the viewer.   As you know visual language in artworks can be used to communicate in a variety of ways such as in the expression and mannerisms of subjects, the background setting as well as subtle effects of light and perspective.  

What is a portrait?

Portraiture is a genre of art that displays the representation or a likeness of a person.  This can be done in a variety of medium such as painting, sculpture or photography.  The sitter may be shown in side-profile, full frontal or porfil perdu  (that is ‘lost profile’ a face turned away at an angle, just revealing the cheek and jaw line and perhaps the tip of the nose) . A portrait is extremely revealing of the sitter or subject’s intentions and is subject to the artist’s interpretations.  Sentiments may be communicated via the projection of certain characteristics.  Examples of portraits we see in our daily lives include portraits of rulers or politicians on bank notes and stamps, photographs in the media and religious depictions.

When you are looking at Portraits, ask in your mind.....
1. What is your (the viewer) impression of the subject?

2. What visual language does the artist use to express ideas to the viewer?

3. Compare the different ways in which the artist presents themselves in their self-portratis and what are they trying to say?

 Let's look at a few Self Portraits.......

Bayu Utomo Radjikin (Malaysia 1969 – present)

Lang Kacang

Mixed media 141 x 104 x 120 cm 1991

Collection of the Singapore Art Museum

The Artist

Born in Sabah, the Bayu is a rural-urban migrant who has settled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  A member of the Malaysian art collective Matahati, Bayu grauduated in 1991 from one of the country’s most eminent art schools Universiti Institute Tecknologi MARA with a B.A. in Fine Art.  Borrowing from the warrior dress of the Dayak triber, Bayu has depicted this armless powerless warrior in scrap metal and charcoal on paper.  Hence the sculpture and drawings are not strictly self-portraits but aesthetic expressions of conceptual issues which plague marginalized cultures in developing societies around the world. 

The Artwork

The 3D work (sculpture) is a physical realization of charcoal drawings.  In the drawings, side profiles of the warrior chief are presented to the viewer.  His head is thrown back with the force of his roar of frustration and anger – the facial expression is contorted in emotion and yet the torso stands stiff and rigid, bound by  bandages of metal.  In contrast, to the constricting armour of soldered besi (found or scrap metal) the feathers of the headdress stand defiant and proud, symbolic of rich traditional culture and traditions of the past that are slowly being abandoned. The tarnished and well –worn besi with indentations and rust show battle scars of physical and emotional tension.  Discarded industrial parts, metal implements and tools are soldered and welded together – artistic construction communicating physical and spiritual destruction. The figure is a native warrior chief.  It made with old rusted parts of technological advancement that once was new and modern but now has become outdated.  This is a commentary on the eroding role not just of the elder chief himself, but also of the tribe’s place in the face of modern development.  The expression shown by the figure`s stiff body and his head leaning back as if screaming, expresses  the anguish felt by those suffering from the gradual but certain erosion of tribal identity.

Affandi (Indonesia 1907-1990)

Self-Portrait

Oil on Canvas  126 x 97 cm  1975

Collection of the Singapore Art Museum

The Artist

Affandi is considered one of Indonesia’s more eminent modern artists.  He was born in West Java at the turn of the twentieth century.  Throughout his life, he received many local and international accolades. He also represented his country internationally in the Sao Paolo Biennale.

The Artwork

Affandi has a different technique: he squeezes the paint straight from the tube and uses both his fingers and paint brushes.  This creates a unique style and gives the subject a certain personality and disposition.  In his early career Affandi was a self-taught artist and he rejected the intellectualization of art, preferring to derive his subject matter and inspiration from his everyday Indonesian life.   With a strong palette of primary and secondary colours – red, yellow and green as well as a hint of brown and flesh undertones, a sense of the artist’s spiritual and emotional depth is evoked.  The facial expression beneath shows an insight into his own interpretation of self.  With downcast eyes and a mouth of broken teeth, we see an aging artist, yet one who still exudes confidence and passion.  The painting was created to commemorate an honorary degree conferred on him by Singapore University.  Gazing directly at the viewer, this is an artist who is aware of his success and yet realizes the frailty of his physical self.

Georgette Chen (China 1906 – Singapore 1993)

Self-Portait

Oil on Canvas 22.5 x 17.5 cm 1946

Collection of the Singapore Art Museum

The Artist

Considered one of Singapore’s pioneer artists, Georgette Chen was born into a family of wealth.  She was exposed to Western culture and art in her early youth when her family left Shanghai in 1909.  Educated in New York and Paris, Chen attended the Acadamie Colarossie, Academie Biloul and the Art Student’s League.  While in Paris, she married Eugene Chan, Foreign Minister to the Republic of China.  He was her second husband and an immense intellectual and passionate influence on her life.  Following his demise in 1944, Chen settled in Singapore in 1954 and subsequently became a teacher at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for 26 years.  In recognition of her contribution to Singaporean art, the artist was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1985.

The Artwork

Chen uses sweeping and blended brushstrokes of colour and a centrally focused composition which is Western Inspired.  She signs her work in the  Chinese-style vertical signature in alphabets spelling her surname.  She shows herself wearing  bright lipstick, an up-swept European hairstyle, sharply plucked eyebrows and a confident gaze.  This portrait shows the artist is influenced by both the Western and Eastern artistic and social practices. 

In this self-portrait, the artist gazes from a side angle at the viewer with her head slightly tilted back, as if in appraisal.  The fresh shades of beige, light pink and white highlights on her face are complemented by the warm sandy glow of the background.  Her sharply defined cerise lips and the glossy black of her dress offer contrasts to heighten the effect of the soft lilting shades of the palette.  Chen exudes a cool and sophisticated demeanor  and this is heightened by the stiffness of her cheongsam collar, the elegant 1940s rolled hairstyle and the subtle delineations of her jaw line.

Popo Iskandar (Indonesia 1927 – 2000)

Self-Portrait

Oil on Canvas  65 x 60 cm   1967

Collection of the Singapore Art Museum

The Artist

Popo began his artistic career as a poster painter for the information service of Indonesian Students Armed Forces.  The influence of the political environment of that time and his associations with the Bandung school led to the artist’s belief in the importance of connecting Indonesian art with International developments.  

The Artwork

To truly understand this self-portrait, it is important to examine the circumstances during which it was created.  Self-Portrait was painted in 1967, barely a year after the fall of the Soeharto government and LEKRA (google this if you need more info).  This was a time in Indonesia where artists such as Popo were no longer restricted by the rules and censorship of politics, it was a new time of freedom to pursue ideas and to gain inspiration from European artists.  This painting reveals characteristics of cubism with its simplified and semi-geometrical shapes.  The bold unadulterated blocks of primary and secondary colours coupled with a modernistic style reveal the quest towards unrestrained expression in art.  The palette comprises strong resonant colours with deep scarlet emphasising the solitary subject matter of the face in the right foreground.  Cut off by the corners of the canvas, the blank almond-shaped eyes stare resolutely at the viewer. 

Look at portraits done by Matisse,  a French artist, in the early 20^th century,  known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He is commonly regarded, along with Picasso,  as one who helped to define the revolutionary developments in modern art.  Compare his technique with Popos.

Koh Nguang How (Singapore 1963 – present)

Self Portrait of my Ancestor

Mixed Media  93.3 x 63.7 cm  1994

Collection of the Singapore Art Museum

The Artist

A founding member of the Singaporean artists collective The Artist’s Village in 1988, Koh is an independent art researcher.  He was formerly a Museum Assistant at the National Museum Art Gallery in Singapore for seven years before holding the position of Assistant Curator for a year.  Highly regarded for his research on Singaporean art, Koh was appointed the Researcher in Residence at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan in 1999.

The Artwork

This artist`s  particular style is to use different mediums to create two dimensional works.   This artwork shows Koh`s idea of his self identity being dependent on his ancestors by referring to the study of genealogy.  A digital photograph of his face is super-imposed on to the body of the renowned Emperor Shen Nung of China from which the Koh clan is supposed to have descended from.  Integrating medical tape and intravenous tubes to feed the bitter gourd into the figure’s veins, Koh comments on the weight that is given to one’s ancestry and the modern day encouragement of designer gene practices.  Along similar lines to his ancestor who believed in the benefits of leading a disciplined and wholesome lifestyle, the artist personally advocates the healing qualities of this sharp tasting vegetable.  The figure is presented in the traditional composition of the ancestor portrait but modern elements are introduced by the use of white copier paper, a photocopied image, synthetic looking vegetables and medical paraphernalia.  Common stationary metal thumbtacks hold the portraits up delicately, perhaps hinting at the fragility of ancestral worship, a believe that is gradually being left behind.