National Gallery Art Feature

Arts LFA LearnX Package: NGS Artwork Feature (Children)

National Gallery Singapore, one of Singapore’s art museums explored in our previous learning package: Introducing Museums, displays many intriguing pieces of art. Let’s explore two artworks which show us how life was like in the past! 

Lai Foong Moi 
Ship 
1960 
Oil on canvas, 81.5 x 65 cm 
Collection of National Gallery Singapore 
Image courtesy of National Heritage Board, Singapore 

Ships used to be the main vehicles that allowed people to travel across large bodies of water. Imagine travelling on a ship in the 1960s! Artist Lai Foong Moi created an artwork that experimented with composition, or the way the different parts of art have been put together. Here, a scene of two docked ships is painted on a one-dimensional plane and the silhouettes of workers appear to be almost abstract. Her use of colours draws your eyes to the mid-ground of the artwork, where the forms of the workers within the striking band of green creates a visual contrast against the dark blue hull of the ship.  

Chua Mia Tee 
Portable Cinema 
1977 
Oil on canvas, 76.9 x 78.2 cm 
Gift of Times Publishing Limited 
Collection of National Gallery Singapore 
© Chua Mia Tee and family 
Image courtesy of National Heritage Board, Singapore 

Did you know that once upon a time, you would watch movies out in the street instead of an air-conditioned cinema? Artist Chua Mia Tee painted a detailed and engaging scene based on his memories of watching movies at portable street carts in Chinatown, where he lived as a child. For only one cent, one could peep through slots in a specially constructed box and view popular characters such as Robin Hood, Popeye or Frankenstein in action while manually turning the reels. Portable cinemas were very popular in Singapore in the 1950s!  

You might have been lucky enough to catch these Travelling Art Carts created by National Gallery Singapore which roved to various public libraries. These art carts, based on the two artworks above, brought the stories and experiences of the artists to life. It was almost as if you could step into the art pieces! 

If you missed it, fret not! Catch this video on the National Gallery Singapore’s “Art on Wheels” initiative: 

 

 

To learn more about artist Chua Mia Tee, check out this video which summarises his artwork influences and style: 

 

Interested in learning more about other artists and artworks that you can find in Singapore? Check out these titles below: 

1. Exploring Southeast Asia with Liu Kang: Master of Colours 

 

Author: Eva Wong Nava 
Publisher: Penguin Random House, 2022 
Call No.: J SING 759.95957 WON 

Find this book at our libraries here. 

The main character in this story is Liu Kang. Readers explore a segment of Singapore's history through Liu Kang's seminal work, Life By The River. The story takes readers through a slice of Liu Kang's life in Singapore before the founding of the Nanyang style, an art movement that has become embedded in the art history of Singapore. Readers will see how Liu Kang struggled to find artistic inspiration in Malaya and how a trip to Bali changed his mind and perception of home. Weaved into the story is that of Singapore seen through the lens of the artist. Children will learn about pre-independence Singapore, its landscape, and people.  

Publisher: Penguin Random House, 2022 
From: National Library Board catalogue / Book Cover 

 

2. Painting Our World

Author: Esther Eio
Publisher: National Gallery Singapore, 2024 
Call No.: J SING EIO 

Borrow the eBook from our library here. 

Aidan and Ling are two friends who live in the same kampong. In Painting Our World, a day spent exploring allows them to meet five different artists painting everyday scenes from the 1960s and 1970s. Join Aidan and Ling as they explore their world through prominent artworks from the National Gallery Singapore collection. 

Publisher: National Gallery Singapore, 2024 
From: National Library Board catalogue / Book Cover