Ink Legacy - Ling Cher Eng Retrospective Art Exhibition

Ink Legacy

Ling Cher Eng Retrospective Art Exhibition

丹青留芳 回顾海派弟子林子影作品展 3 March to 11 March 2015 ION Art Gallery, ION Orchard Exhibition Opening 3 March 2015 7pm, ION Art Gallery, ION Orchard Level 4 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801

Ink Legacy: Retrospective Exhibition by Ling Cher Eng Exhibition opening reception Date: 3 March 2015 (Tuesday) Time: 7pm Buffet reception will be served Venue: ION Art Gallery ION Orchard Level 4 2 Orchard Turn Singapore 238801 Kindly RSVP your attendance to attend the exhibition opening reception via email: info@asiaartcollective.com / text: 9005 6716 (Iola) or call us at: 6733 2155 The exhibition will run daily from 11am to 9pm at ION Art Gallery from 3 - 11 March 2015.

《丹青留芳》回顾海派弟子林子影作品展 展览开幕仪式 日期： 2015年3月3日（星期二） 时间： 晚上7点 地点： ION Art Gallery ION Orchard Level 4 2 Orchard Turn Singapore 238801 请您RSVP回复确认出席 至邮件：info@asiaartcollective.com / 简讯: 9005 6716 (刘婉婷) 或电话：6733 2155 《丹青留芳》展览将从2015年3月3日至3月11日举行， 每日从早上11点至晚上9点开放。

Cover image: Village in Kuching 山都望渔村 古晋

Foreword Born in 1940, Ling Cher Eng was a second-generation Singaporean artist. Ling studied Chinese painting under the pioneer artist Fan Chang Tien (1907-1987) from 1957, when he attended Chung Cheng High School. The literati tradition of the Shanghai School of painting as practised by Fan, which can be traced back to the Shanghai School masters Wang Geyi, Wang Yiting, Pan Tianshou and Zhu Wenyun deeply influenced Ling and resonated with his passion for ink painting. Ling greatly admired Fan and studied under him with determination to master the arts of verse, painting, calligraphy and seal-carving, the four attributes of the literati tradition. Ling’s dedication and perseverance led him to continue his tutelage under Fan for the next thirty years from 1957 to 1987, making him the first and longest disciple of Fan Chang Tien.

Having acquired a strong foundation from Fan’s tutelage, Ling Cher Eng’s works captured the carefree and effortless expressionism of the Shanghai School xieyi style. Ling’s oeuvre spans a wide range of subjects. Not only was he adept at classical themes of the plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemum (known in Chinese as the sijunzi or ‘four gentlemen’), Ling was also creative in applying his talents to more uncommon subjects in Chinese painting, including tropical fruits and flowers, the regional landscapes of Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, both urban and rural; nudes and portraits, and his lively depictions of snails and sparrows among other subjects. Ling especially won recognition and praise for his paintings of plum blossoms and his landscape works, noteworthily their bold composition and for his daring use of ink as an expressive force in itself.

In his Southeast Asian themes, he painted sceneries of Singapore, Malay kampungs and Balinese landscapes, bringing to life these regional vignettes in his vigorous style which still preserves the finesse and detail of his subject matter. The largeness of spirit and expression typical of the Shanghai School can be seen in his classical themed paintings of birds and flowers. But Ling went beyond the traditions in which he was schooled, incorporating increasingly abstract qualities in his work. By the 1990s, his work in the landscape genre had included the usage of acrylic paints, making him stand out as a modern Chinese painter of the times.

Other than his personal achievements as an artist, Ling is also one of the founders of the Hwa Hun Art Society, serving as president and vice-president of the Society several times. He played a pivotal role for the promotion and education of Chinese ink painting in Singapore. He was the head of department

Photo taken at the home of Fan Chang Tien during Wang Geyi’s visit to Singapore, 1985.

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of art at the New Town Primary School for many years, where his students often scored good results in art competitions. Through all these, Ling has contributed to the teaching of art and Chinese painting in Singapore, with dedication to his profession as a teacher and an artist.

Ling Cher Eng – an ink legacy of our time – passed away of a sudden illness while on tour with his artist friends to Taiyuan, Shanxi Province in China, in 1995. Nearly 20 years on, he is very much remembered by those who knew him, and his works are still enthusiastically mentioned among ink painting circles.

His works brought together the tradition of the Shanghai School with the regional characteristics of the Nanyang region and certain elements of Western art. All his efforts have ensured his place in our Singaporean art history, and we sincerely hope that through this retrospective exhibition, more people may learn about one of Singapore’s most exemplary ink painters.

前言 丹青留芳

追忆海派弟子林子影遗作展

林子影（1940-1995年），新加坡已故著名画家，海派新加坡 弟子，师从海派画家范昌乾，是范昌乾大弟子亦是得力门生。 范昌乾乃海派大师王个簃、王一亭的学生，50年代中辗转居民 新加坡。1957年范昌乾在中正中学担任美术老师时，林子影正 是青春年少是便跟随老师学艺，林子影对范昌乾诗词、书画、 篆刻无不钦佩，下定决心开始学习中国水墨画，他虚心学习老 师的一招一式，勤学苦练，跟随老师习画三十年之久，直到范 昌乾87年过世为止。林子影得到海派绘画的真传，通过他的作 品无论用笔、用墨、用色、布局处处看出海派绘画的传统功力 又有自己特色，作品耐人寻味。 欣赏林子影作品分几部分，书法、山水、花鸟、抽象。其 中山水和花鸟最为突出，林子影的山水画题材多数是东南亚风 景也有中国名山大川，他笔下的狮城小景、马来村庄、巴厘岛 风光、泰北村寨等作品，构图巧妙，设色清雅，笔墨淋漓。茅 Lotus by Ling Cher Eng

草小屋，小桥木船，河边嬉戏的马来妇女，迎风飘摆的高耸耶 林都刻画非常精细又见笔墨功夫，实在妙不可言。

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林子影花鸟作品处处可看出海派的大写意传统功力，纵横 豪放、潇洒飘逸、淳朴浑厚。梅、兰、竹、菊的画法显示出扎 实的写意画基础又加以创新，梅花的构图大胆，采用画面满构 图又在空白处写上书法诗句，体现了梅枝苍劲、梅花之茂密， 风格独特，90年代初林子影开始创作重彩水墨和抽象山水，大 胆运用泼彩泼墨，挥洒自如，轻松奔放地画出中国名山风光， 此时林子影创作已走向高峰。 在林子影的作品上看出具有海派传统功力又有南洋特色， 生长在南洋的林子影正是优秀的海派弟子，把海派绘画发扬光 大的同时又融入自己身处的环境，创作无数具有南洋风的优秀 作品，他还积极参与各种艺术活动，担任学校美术主任，担任 华翰书画研究会会长，担任中华美术研究会理事，他教学认 真，他所教的学生成绩突出，获奖无数。林子影在美术活动中 为新加坡做出了重大贡献。不幸的是林子影于1995年12月与美 术同仁共游中国山西太原时病逝，享年55岁。此乃新加坡美术 界的遗憾和损失。 林子影已经离开我们整整20年，但人们没有忘记林子影， 没有忘记他对新加坡美术的贡献，美术界人士更是经常提起 他。为了缅怀追忆林子影，这次林子影家人把子影的遗作加以 整理呈现给大家，我们很荣幸能举办此活动，希望这些作品大 家喜欢并从作品中能悟到中华水墨画的精髓。 Iola Liu Asia Art Collective

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Sightseeing by the Falls 飞瀑图

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West Lake of Hangzhou 中国西湖

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Kampung Life 村庄

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Magnificent Landscape 树里人家

Rural village - Chiangmai 泰北清莱村寨

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Kampung in Malacca 游古城马六甲

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Fresh Fragrance 流香

Plum Blossoms 梅开

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Full blossom 满目秋花

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Plum Blossoms in Spring 古木逢春寒

Wisteria and Rock 紫藤、 石

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Xidai Falls in Yunnan 西双版纳瀑布

Temple in Penang 槟城大伯公庙

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Asia Art Collective is an art gallery and consultancy specialised in representing emerging and established Singaporean and Chinese artists. We provide a range of art-related services including artwork commissioning and artwork dealing, sourcing and brokerage services for private and public collectors. We welcome both new and experienced collectors to discuss with us on your collecting interests and appraisal needs.

Opening Hours: 11am - 7pm daily Gallery address: 19 Tanglin Road, #03-42 Tanglin Shopping Centre, Singapore 247909 Tel: 6733 2155 Email: info@asiaartcollective.com