Object size: 212.8 x 89.5 cm
This work features a family, a mother and her children, resting in the front yard of the kampong. The little girl in blue plays with her sibling, who is carried by the mother. The everyday life of the local people is realistically portrayed in this painting. Chen Chong Swee has been regarded as one of the first artists to incorporate local subject matter in traditional Chinese ink painting. He believed that works of art should reflect the age and realistically portray the surroundings. Chen's artistic contributions went beyond his artworks. He taught at Chinese High School and Nanyang Academy of FIne Arts, was a founding member of Society of Chinese Artists (1935) and Singapore Watercolour Society (1969) and a writer, contributing many articles on art to newspapers, exhibition catalogues and magazines.
