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THE
JAKARTA POST
Sunday,
October 26, 2003
On the shelves
Understanding
Contemporary Southeast Asian Art by Marjorie Chu, Art Forum Singapore 208
pp.
Available at QB-KuBuKu bookstores for Rp 300,000
To read the above
book is to follow Marjorie Chu, a Shanghai-born Singapore citizen, on her personal
passage in collecting artworks from Southeast Asian painters and sculptors.
Unlike many other collectors in the region, Chu knows every artist of the works
she has collected.
This has given her the unique advantage of personal interaction, thus enriching
her already wide knowledge of contemporary art. But it is her own painting ability
that gave her the confidence to make fair analysis while explaining the works.
"To take art acquisition more seriously, I decided it was not enough for me
to just watch, talk and listen to the artists," writes Chu, an accountant by
training who found her passion in the arts and is a dynamic figure on the scene
in Singapore.
"I needed a more hands-on approach. It was only when she put brush and color
to paper that I realized the sensation of painting. ....I now feel able to judge
paintings and to read them with an educated eye."
In simple, easily understandable language, Chu tackles the various features
of artists in the region whose works she has collected; one might get acquainted
with artists who have not had much exposure yet. On the other hand, there are
also those names whose works have often been in exhibition displays. The interaction
between Chu with each of the artists is unique.
What will probably make the book even more interesting for collectors is the
way she has dedicated a chapter to getting the best at the most affordable price
at auctions.
The author explains still life, life drawing, the figure in landscape, the anatomy
of landscape, sculpture and the concept of abstract art on the basis of works
by various artists.
Her personal passion for certain artists is evident in the special chapters
dedicated respectively to Chua Ek Kay, Goh Beng Kwan and Srihadi Soedarsono.
While part of the book may be particularly interesting for those wishing to
understand art better, the part on field trips with artists to Bali, the Northern
Territory in Australia, to Rajasthan in India and Scotland will be fascinating
for most readers, through the moods expressed by various participating artists
and the metamorphosis of words into images, among which are Chu's own paintings
of pastel on paper.
- Carla Bianpoen
Table of Contents | Preface to the Book | Press | Where to Buy