bt2

i saw eli had included her essay as part of her essays. LOL sounds funny. so i'm gonna include mine too, for convenience sake as well haha

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Looking Ahead by Ng Eng Teng, 1987
Bronze,79 x 56 x 29 cm

Growth by Han Sai Por, 1985
Marble, 111.2 x 88.5 x 40 cm

a)Describe the subject matter of both works.

growth consist of 5 claw-like structures. they seem to be emerging from the ground, as if they are growing out of the ground. this collection of 5 individual fluid like sculptures come together to form an entity. they are small in size, with the smallest being 14 cm and the largest being 40cm. the scale probably resonates with the title 'growth', as the sculptures are in the process of growth, they are still small, slowly but surely growing. these forms are of organic shapes, made of fluid contours with the base of the sculpture being bigger and tip being pointed. these sculptures, though not symmetrical, come together and form a sculpture that is well balanced, akin to another theme that is recurring in Han Sai Por's work----family. also, family is what supports growth. these forms are white, minimalistic, sinuous, with arabesque lines. The sculpture at the centre seems to be pointing upwards while the two at the sides point towards each other. the other 2 at the bottom points diagonally in the opposite direction.  Due to their varying heights and position, these sinuous sculptures lead the viewers eyes from one sculpture to another. however, should one look at it in another perspective, it can also mean decay. both of which are natural processes. They appear to be well polished and smooth. The edges are not exactly sharp, sort of rounded, which may symbolise its metamorphical stage, whereby they are not complete but still growing. on another note, they may symbolise a claw that is reaching out from the ground, growing towards the viewers. These minimalistic organic forms are at its most simplified form, without any additional features on each form. They are also white, which is a pure colour that represents the purity of a child, or nature when it is still young and growing. 

Looking ahead is a bronze sculpture with its height about 2 times the tallest form in Han Sai Por's work. it is one sculpture showing a woman resting both her hands on her forehead and an elbow on her thighs. the upper body, which is usually the main subject matter in a human is omitted. the absence of the torso, creates a presence, in a sense that one is drawn to the missing body parts and will actually acknowledge and realise that the torso is gone. Details are omitted in this sculpture, leaving only basic recognisable forms such as the thighs, hands, head, hair, eyes, nose and mouth. The head is looking ahead, like what the title says. t is of a dark shade, textured on the surface. Also, the proportion of the features exaggerated. 

The woman seems to be worried or anxious, as seen from her furrowed brows and the clutching of her forehead and her mouth gaping. it tells us a little about the human condition, where anxiety, frustration and being worried is common and it occurs almost on a daily basis. The subject matter is rounded, with only the hair being angular. The omission of the upper torso implies that the focus is on the thighs, hands and head; features of the body that we use in out daily lives, such as walking, writing or thinking. however, we may often forget that our body is actually very important as well. Without our body to connect the limbs together, we would not function. Perhaps the omission of the bod is to highlight this point. This sculpture is in relation to forms, forms in space, in relation to space and space as an active and positive element, and this is emphasized in the omission of the upper torso. 

b)Discuss similarities and differences that exist in their treatment of forms and use of materials

Ng Eng Teng used bronze while Han Sai Por used marble, both of which are highly different materials. Bronze being related to being cold and hard, while marble being warm, more fluid and smoother as compared to bronze. it is also more inviting. Bronze may seem to relate to the human condition, how someone can be cold, hard, uninviting while marble is used to represent growth, something more organic, fluid and pure.

Ng Eng Teng's sculpture is textured while Han Sai Por's is smooth and polished, perhaps expressing how growth is a continuous process while textured signifies how different each individual is.

Ng Eng Teng's sculpture is of one entity while Han Sai Por's sculpture is made u of 5 smaller sculptures placed together. Also, Looking Ahead is about 80cm, twice the height of the tallest sculpture in 'growth', which stands at about 40cm. The height may also be linked to the subject matter and title, with Ng's work being about humans which are fairly big, while Han's work being growth, starts out small. Moreover, Han Sai Por's work is more simplified and abstract as compared to Ng Eng Teng's, perhaps also due to its subject matter that growth is something abstract wile human is there, as a whole, something which one can recognise and visualise. 

Despite all the difference, these 2 artworks seem to have a few similarities as well, one being that both sculpture used hard, durable materials, marble and bronze as both want their artworks to be able to withstand time.  Both artworks are rounded biomorphic and simplified to a certain extent. Details are omitted, which leaves the sculptures looking slightly abstract. Both works have the element of 'continuity' in them, in a way that the artworks is continuous. Ng's artowkr is continuous with its head leading to the hand and finally to the thighs, while Han's work leads the viewer's eyes from one form to another. The sculptures also interact with space, like Ng's work ---- the omission of the torso makes use of negative space in a meaningful way and Han's work where the positioning of the work in space creates space within the work. 

c)In your opinion, which work would you choose to be displayed in Nanyang Girls' High School as part of our permanent art collection and where will the chosen work be exhibited? Disscuss with consideration given to the artist's background, repertoire of works, approaches to art, etc.

i would choose Han Sai Por's 'Growth" and it would be placed in the outdoors. 

Growth represents the growth of a student's intellectual capacity, the growth of a student and teacher during his or her time in nanyang, the growth of our school history, the growth of nature, the growth of a student and teacher's emotions as he or she ecomes emotionally attached to the school. (mrs tan says: wu3 yu4 ping1 jun1 de4 fa1 zhan3 : hanyu pinyin and the sheng diao) these resonates with the title 'Growth' and i think that it is apt to place it in the school as it captures the kind of 'Growth' that one will experience. Furthermore, it is simplified, fluid like and white, similar to our school's motto of simplicity and our white hongzi. Also, it is fairly abstract, allowing students and teacher's imagination run freely and allowing them to interprete it as one pleases, boosting our creativity, encouraging teachers and students to think out of the box as this sculpture may represent anything. 

also, this work is done by Han Sai Por, who was formally an AEP teacher at Nanyang Girls High School. By placing her work in nanyang, it shows how long nanyang has been around and emphasizing the 'once-a-nanyang-girl-forever-a-nanyang-girl' spirit. It also shows the talent that our school possess, a great teacher that the school once had. 

Furthermore, most of Han Sai Por's works are about nature, hence i think it should be placed in the outdoor. Marble is a natural stone and Han's recurring theme were nature and family. Placing her work in a natural environment respects her theme and foes not undermine her thoughts and message that we are a part of nature and not apart from nature.

Another point would be that her sculpture is made up of seperate forms, these forms come about together to create a single entity, just like how every nanyang girl is different but we come together as a whole, work together as a whole and display our nanyang spirit and teamwork, and that we are all a family. 

this has to be one of the longest essay's i've ever typed into a computer. i cant believe i wrote this under exam pressure.