Conclusion

This is the earliest self-portrait of Chen in Singapore’s National Collection. It was painted in 1934 when Chen was coming into prominence as a professional artist in France. Her steely-eyed gaze and sombre expression reveal a young woman assured in her artistic skills and the promise of her future. The restrained simplicity of this work creates a sense of intimacy. Chen looks directly towards you with slightly narrowed eyes. Her use of colour in this work is masterful, with blended areas of white highlighting her profile against the mauve background, creating a pale halo around her. The daubs of green paint accentuate her skin tone. This technique of placing colours opposite the colour wheel next to each other was used by the Impressionists. Here, the green tones intensify and accentuate the base colours used for her skin, and the result is a visually striking intensity that brings the painting to life. Here, we see Chen on the cusp of a promising career that she would see to fruition upon her relocation to Malaya. In subsequent years, Chen would go on exhibit across the world in Paris, Shanghai, and New York. However, her life would also be marked with the hardships of World War II and personal tragedies like the death of her first husband. Even as Chen drew inspiration for her art from her travels around the world, she would find her eventual roots in Singapore where she relished the lushness of the tropics around her. This self-portrait captures Chen as one who spread the love of art wherever she was—an artist who was truly at home in the world. (pause) If you would like to see more of Chen’s works, you can find them in DBS Singapore Gallery One, on the second floor of the Gallery’s City Hall wing.