On Singapore's "Nanyang Painting Style"

The term "Nanyang Style" has been used in the media,academia and art circles of Singapore and Malaysia for about four decades.Although Nanyang artists are no doubt remarkable,their styles vary from one to another.Their works do not have obvious common and consistent characteristics.Nevertheless,many people still regard their art works as of one style-the Nanyang Style,thus the academia especially find it very confusing.This thesis will examine the soundness of "Nanyang Style" from the perspective of aesthetics by studying various literatures and materials,as well as the paintings of various local Singaporean artists of the same time period.This thesis will be divided into five chapters.The first chapter will explore the defining characteristics of painting styles and schools of painting,and then proceed to discuss the history of the birth of the "Nanyang Style".Upon further analysis,it will investigate if the generally recognised "Nanyang Style" is a meaningful classification of a painting style.The second chapter will analyse the geometrical elements,colours and composition of paintings considered to be of the "Nanyang Style".in the hopes of finding a common defining characteristic of the "Nanyang Style" to find the reason as to why it is considered to be a painting style and a school of painting.The third chapter will discuss the history of "Nanyang Style" since its formal inception in the 1950s to its decline in the 1980s,as well as the reason for its decline over the years.The fourth chapter explores the value of "Nanyang Style" from the perspective of aesthetics,art,social function,economy etc.The fifth chapter tries to make a summary of the concept of "Nanyang Style",and will analyse the potential benefits and risks of developing the "Nanyang Style" in the future.