Image Size: 71.5 x 53.5 cm,
Image size: ,
With frame: 92.0 x 73.5 x 3.0 cm
Georgette Chen is regarded as a key figure in the development of modern art in Singapore. In the early years of her practice, Chen pursued formal art education in academies in France and New York, and this work, Femme nue (Nude), was painted as Chen was gaining increasing recognition as a professional artist, showing her work in salons and exhibitions in Paris. The subject matter of this work is relatively uncommon in Chen’s oeuvre, as she is known to have painted only a small number of nudes in the 1930s. Within the tradition of classical art education, figure studies, particularly of the nude, were an important way for artists to develop their skills. Depicting a model seated in an easy, sombre pose, Chen’s painting expresses the Post-Impressionistic style that was influential in her early academic training. Broad brushstrokes suggest the play of light and shadow across the figure, and she uses thick impasto to suggest curves, volume and areas of illumination. The sketch-like depiction of the subject’s facial features redirects focus onto the pyramidal composition of the figure, which is set off by muted, balanced planes of colour in the foreground and background.
