Ever wonder why the Peanuts gang is named Peanuts? Do you know who loves to collect stamps in the gang? How about Snoopy’s best friend or the hair colour of Charlie Brown’s crush? If you are a Snoopy fan, all these questions should be nothing new. But if you – like me – know of Snoopy as a household name and nothing beyond that, this cutesy exhibition at the Philatelic Museum has all the answers to the above.
The exhibition With Love from Snoopy, Charlie Brown & the Peanuts Gang in conjunction with SNOOPY AND CHARLIE BROWN: THE PEANUTS MOVIE is a happy visual space, filled with a good balanced spread of huge sized sculptures for visitors to admire from a distance as well as small stamps and comic strips to read up close. Here’s are the highlights of the exhibition:
Wide Range of Collectibles
Snoopy fans will surely love this! One entire shelf dedicated to the showcase of collectibles on loan from private collectors, Charlie Brown Café and Mint Toy Museum. From lobby cards to water bottles to soft toys, the complete set of McDonald’s Snoopy World Tour toys is the most nostalgic. These four bronze sculptures caught my attention, especially the second one from the left – a dreamy Linus with his security blanket is just too adorable.
Peanuts Sculptures, Collection of Charlie Brown Café Singapore
The Peanuts Family Tree
This comprehensive family tree is my favourite “infographic”. It illustrates the interesting relationships between characters- siblings, BFFs and who has a crush on who… all in a chart! Below is a sneak peek for you!
The Peanuts Family Tree, 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Comic Strips and its Evolution
Marvel over the evolution of comic styles over the years by comparing the different looks of the characters over the decades. Here’s how Lucy, Linus’s elder sister, looked like over the past decades.
It’s so much fun and joy going up close reading these snippets of comic strips, with detailed captions and specific dates. Some are really funny. I hoped no one caught me laughing sheepishly to myself.
Heartwarming Letters from Charles Schulz and Peanuts’ fans
Receiving letters is always a lovely feeling. In this exhibition, there are many letters- both from fans and Charles Schulz- which contain concerns and requests of fans. It just goes to show the impact these comic strips have had on people’s lives.
As fans expressed their love for most of the characters, there was also one particular character, Charlotte Braun, which they did not quite like. This letter is a reply by Charles Schulz when one of his fans requested for this character to be axed.
Post Boxes and Stamps
Two Instagram-worthy post boxes to pose with: a Charlie Brown t-shirt inspired yellow post box and a red vintage pillar box donated by the Hong Kong Post.
Did you spot the giant Snoopy plush in the background? It’s a prize and you might be the lucky winner! Simply count the number of times Snoopy appears on the postage stamps exhibited, and fill in the number in this form (you can get it from the counter).
P.S. If I counted correctly, the number is quite big, so you might want to jot down the figures as you count, otherwise you might need to count all over again if you missed out one or two.
Lastly, with Christmas approaching , there are also nuggets of fun facts about Christmas like the first Christmas stamps and the first Christmas-themed comic strip in Peanuts. If you are looking for stamps to post out your postcards and letters, there are also Snoopy stamps for sale!
With Love from Snoopy, Charlie Brown & the Peanuts Gang Exhibition runs from 2 December 2015 to 30 April 2016, at Singapore Philatelic Museum, a beautiful red-roofed, two-storey building along Coleman Street.
Sharon is drawn to museums…from Disney to The Little Prince to ramen exhibitions, she simply enjoys staring and standing in front of exhibits; allowing her thoughts to wander occasionally. In an alternate universe, she imagines herself drawing and drumming. Meanwhile, she travels with a pen and notebook, as well as a missing DSLR.
An exciting week lies ahead for art enthusiasts and history lovers as the National Gallery opens today. Holding a record-breaking collection of Southeast Asian art in a single space, the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery discusses the region’s artistic development from 19th century onwards while the DBS Singapore Gallery provides a deep and comprehensive overview of Singaporean art from the 19th century to the present day.
With this much art, there is always something that requires just that extra hour of browsing. Here are some of the highlights from each gallery to add to your list. Oh and we definitely recommend setting aside one full day for the visit!
UOB Southeast Asia Gallery
Raden Saleh, Forest Fire, 1849, Oil on canvas, 300.0 x 396 cm, Adopted by the Yong Hon Kong Foundation, Collection of National Gallery Singapore. Image courtesy of National Heritage Board.
Raden Saleh’s Forest Fire demands your attention the minute you step into Southeast Asia’s first gallery. At three metres, the painting easily dwarfs everything else in the room. The immediate appeal however is in the dramatic storytelling of a tragic forest fire. Here you see depictions of animals, both predator and prey, perhaps indicative of a play on the strata of society; forcibly edged out on a cliff and scrambling on top of one another or up in the sky, to get to safety.
Raden’s works are indicative of his Western art training with a likeness to romanticism in the Dutch Golden Age. Considered Indonesia’s pioneer modern artist, the popularity of his works travelled to Europe. Although he created naturalistic scenes of his home country, Raden was not necessarily tuned in to creating Indonesian art, instead his themes were more indicative of a nationalistic awakening. There are more works by Raden Saleh in the Southeast Asia gallery painted in the same likeness: see if you can spot them.
Chuah Thean Teng, Morning, 1960 – 1963, Batik on cloth, 112 x 173 cm, Collection of National Gallery Singapore Image courtesy of National Heritage Board
One cannot help but be tickled by the cheeky, idyllic interpretation of rural life in this painting by Chuah Thean Teng. The first modern artist in Malaya to use wax-dyeing batik techniques, Chuah was motivated to experiment and make art with Batik after a failed business. His skilful wax-dyeing technique is evident in this painting, showing clean lines and sharp colours purposefully inked into different sections. Having had sold-out exhibitions, his success inspires many younger artists in both Singapore and Malaysia to create with Batik art.
Gregorius Sidharta Soegijo, Lengkung Dinamika (Dynamic Curve), 1971, Painted mahogany wood, 120 x 45 x 35 cm, Collection of National Gallery Singapore Image courtesy of the National Heritage Board
Lengkung Dinamika (Dynamic Curve) consists of two totem-like poles placed in confrontation with each other. At first glance, the totem resembles a tribal artefact but upon closer look, it is not as much a religious-spiritual artefact but rather an exploration of form and colour. Painting the mahogany wood with vibrant colours, Sidharta adds a dynamic element to an otherwise static sculpture.
Sidharta is now well-respected and known but at a time when sculptors rarely gave a heavy treatment and vibrant colours to sculptures – Sidharta was criticised by many. This work symbolises the spirit of the artist in which he constantly pushed the boundaries of his experimentation and incorporated fresh ideas into traditions and cultural legacies.
Popo Iskandar, Two Cubist Nudes, 1963, Oil on canvas, 65 x 89 cm, Collection of National Gallery Singapore. Image courtesy of National Heritage Board
An auction room favourite, Popo Iskandar is usually known for his highly collectible Kuching (cat) paintings. The Two Cubist Nudes then provides a rare look into his cubist works. Popo is known to make the subject fundamental, but perhaps different than traditional figurative painters, Popo further develops other visual elements and treatments such as the texture and explores movement and psychological undertones. A modernist and some may say purist, Popo is always an interesting artist to study because of his interpretation of an element in the imaginary space.
Hendra Gunawan, War and Peace, 1950s, Oil on canvas, 9307 x 140.3 cm. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. Image Courtesy of The National Heritage Board
Both fighters look to be still on guard and their tattered clothes suggests that they are fresh from battle in this Hendra painting. The two fighters seem to look into the distance, as if on guard for the next wave of attacks. Hendra Gunawan is respected as an artist as well as a nationalistic hero. During Indonesia’s War of Independence against the Dutch, Hendra joined Pelukis Front (Frontline Painters). He brought back numerous sketches from the battlefield and produced posters of the nationalist struggle. The illustrations and paintings helped spread the word about the cruelty of war and catapulted the important role of artists during wartime.
DBS Singapore Gallery
Georgette Chen, Singapore Waterfront, c.1963, Oil on canvas, 50 x 61 cm, Gift of Lee Foundation. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. Image courtesy of National Heritage Board.
Georgette Chen’s 1963 painting, Singapore Waterfront captures an optimistic scene of Singapore’s iconic river banks. Chen’s trademark pointillist touch lends a sensuous and light quality to the flowing currents of the Singapore River. Masterfully recreating the still in-construction architecture in the horizon, Chen’s use of soft pastel colours exudes a sense of hope in an ever-changing urban landscape.
Part of the group of artists that established the ‘Nanyang School’ Chen’s contribution to the Singapore Art landscape saw her receiving a Cultural Medallion in 1982. Her frequent travels out of Singapore to various art capitals around the world also afforded her a more international outlook while still being rooted in her cultural and ethnic background.
Cheong Soo Pieng, Drying Salted Fish, 1978, Chinese ink and colour on cloth, 55.5 x 88 cm, Gift of Trans Island Bus Services Ltd, Collection of National Gallery Singapore, Image courtesy of Cheong Soo Pieng family
Cheong Soo Pieng’s innate ability to translate onto ink the simplicity of daily life is apparent in his painting Drying Salted Fish. Visually capturing the bargaining and chatter of a market scene, the painting, produced in 1978, harkens back to a time before HDB flats when the kampong spirit was still alive and well. It is not surprising then that this nationalistic image was selected to be on the Singapore $50 note.
Eng Tow, Bowls, 1979, Cloth and thread, 62.5 x 61.5 cm, Collection of National Gallery Singapore. Image courtesy of National Heritage Board
Receiving critical acclaim from both international and local art critics alike, Eng Tow’s career as an artist stems from her fascination with the different textures of tapestry art. Her research into special art, specifically in the area of washi or Japanese paper also earned her international recognition. Bowls, a series of sculptural painting, produced in 1979, demonstrates a deep understanding of shapes, forms and depth. It also reveals her intimate relationship with her medium, masterfully weaving cloth and thread into an exploration of her artistic capabilities, with her materials as her travelling companion.
National Gallery Singapore’s Opening Celebrations:
24 November 2015 to 6 December 2015
10am to 7pm (Monday to Thursday)
10am to 11pm (Friday to Sunday)
5pm – midnight (27 – 29 November)
Free (registration required for some activities)
Admission into the Gallery building by tickets only. Tickets can be booked online from 5 Nov, 10am onwards till 6 Dec, 5pm through https://tickets.nationalgallery.sg
Sharifah Shahirah is a dreamer, art lover, and quote collector. Her favourite quote is” We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect” Anais Nin.
Making its comeback for the sixth time, Affordable Art Fair – the Autumn 2015 Edition, graced our little sunny island from November 12 to 15. Taking place at the F1 Pit Building, there were a total of 86 local as well as international galleries, featuring original contemporary work from more than 600 artists. With a smorgasbord of remarkable art pieces priced between SGD$100 and $10,000, Affordable Art Fair has once again reminded us of the possibility to enjoy, view and buy art. With its truest intention to make art fun, accessible and most certainly affordable, Affordable Art Fair – the Autumn 2015 Edition was a nothing less than spectacular art fair for any artholics: from season collectors to art enthusiasts.
Some of us from Artitute were very lucky to be given the opportunity to scope around the tremendously exciting and enriching fair ground to see what actually went down during the fair stint. We’ve definitely made a few discoveries that we’re dying to share with our readers. We certainly hope that our list of top 5 favourite art works from Affordable Art Fair – the Autumn 2015 Edition will make you want to visit the Affordable Art Fair when it’s in town subsequently!
Love at First Sight
Or rather, Art at first sight. The first time I saw it, I told myself, “that’s the one”.
Benaras by Milind Mulick
Something about Benaras makes it utterly poetic. The colours used in the painting are appealing. The strokes employed by Milind seems as though it’s effortless but at the same time, very thoughtfully planned and precise. I see it as a breed of realism and abstract, which makes it even more captivating.
Paintings on the Wall
Not all art works are decorative and can be hung on the wall.
7 Continents by Margerita Antillion
But, 7 Continents by Margerita Antillion would indeed make a good focal point in your living room. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, it is inspiring as well. Displaying different continents across the globe, it feeds your wanderlust. The effect of multi-exposure used on this amazing work is brilliant. Nonetheless, one panel wouldn’t work; you’ll have to get all seven panels to truly embrace its splendor.
With Deep Meaning
At a first glance, it may just be yet another beautiful artwork. But once you’ve learnt the story behind it, it changes the way you view and appreciate it.
Chin Urban & Tribal Series by Christian Develter
This series is more than just pretty art. It is intense. It holds a lot of emotional meaning behind it. The artist’s fascination with peoples and cultures of the Chin Urban tribes in northwestern Myanmar is portrayed through the intricacies of his art.
Simplicity at its Finest
Do away with exaggerations and over-the-top artistic technique and effects. Minimalism can be dauntingly attractive.
Winter Windows 2 by Lee Kyung
The usage of sephia grey tone evokes a sense of melancholy. The vast scenic plainness of the art also exudes a sense of solitude. It can be quite calming, as you look at it for a while.
Art with a Sense of Humour!
Not all art has to be solemn and serious. Some can be funny. But, it has to be artistically humorous and not insipidly funny.
Old Future by Kwak Seung-Yong
This piece of work is definitely the epitome of creativity bursting at the seams. It is fun and colorful and has a tinge of humour to it. The seemingly photograph texture and the juxtaposition of Western and Asian culture make this artwork very unique!
Zakaria is an outgoing introvert who loves reading and strongly believes that the pen is mightier than the sword. From dancing to playing the clarinet to Acapella singing, he is indeed an artholic who feels that art is the window to your soul.
