Returning from the Sea

Born in Guangdong Province, China, Chen Chong Swee (1910-1985) came to Singapore in 1931 shortly after graduating from Xinhua Academy of Art, Shanghai. He co-founded the Salon Art Society (now the Singapore Society of Chinese Artists) in 1935 and was a teacher with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for over 20 years. In 1952, Chen, together with fellow artists Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang, went on what would eventually turn out be a historically significant trip to Bali, Indonesia in search of new inspiration and topic. As one of the first artists instrumental in developing the Nanyang Style, Chen pioneered attempts to interpret local landscapes according to the Chinese concept of pictorial composition with Western watercolour techniques. Chen's artistic style remained realistic as he believed the objective of a painting must be understood by its viewer. 'Returning from the Sea' depicts the fishermen's return with their catch while a storm is seen brewing in the background. The employment of 2/3 foreground and 1/3 background composition allows the viewer's gaze to linger over the details of the foreground.