Mosque in Kuala Lumpur

Born in China, Georgette Chen Li Ying (1906-1993) received her art education in Paris, New York and Shanghai. Chen's artistic oeuvre can be divided into three phases: French Period from 1927-1933; China-Hong Kong Period from 1934-1948 and Penang-Singapore Period from 1949-1980. Immensely inspired by her surroundings, she produced still-lifes, portraits and landscapes from each phase. Settling in Singapore in 1954, she taught at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts until her retirement in 1980. Regarded as a Pioneer Artist of Singapore who developed the Nanyang Style, she was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1982. This work presents a postcard view of a mosque situated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was during this period Chen's paintings evolved stylistically, resulting from her changed perspective, brought upon by the bright tropical sunlight of Southeast Asia. This work is a summation of Chen's achievements in pictorial composition, colour rendition and formal organization in her art.