Malay Wedding

In Malay Wedding, Chen captures a wedding celebration on the open field in front of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, or what is commonly known as NAFA. She taught at NAFA from 1954 to 1980, and observed this scene from the school. This scene of a slice of life in the 1960s demonstrates Chen’s keen eye in portraying the joys of ordinary life. Wedding guests, dressed in bright, vivid colours gather under tents, eating and watching musicians play. Chen’s use of colour presents a scene of celebration and cheer. The forms of the wedding guests all come together harmoniously, despite the vibrant and varying tones of their clothes. Take a closer look at the tree and decorations to the left of the tent. Do you notice the ways Chen uses brushstrokes to convey texture? For instance, the short Impressionistic brushstrokes used to paint the leaves of the tree are completely different from the fine, precise brushstrokes of the bunga manggar – the palm-blossom shaped decorations just below it. Despite these contrasting brushstrokes, there is still an overall cohesion in this painting.