Lot 087
ANTHONIE CHONG
b. Perak, 1971
SEATED DANCER, 1997
Oil on canvas
126.5cm x 96cm
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur;
acquired directly from the artist.
ESTIMATE RM 6,500 - 12,000
PRICE REALISED RM 8,800
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Seated Dancer illustrates a nude masculine figure with his arms raised above his head possibly attempting an act of stretching. Resting on a low Prussian blue stool, the posture of the figure dominates the canvas in Bismuth yellow with streaks of flesh tint covering his body and his silhouette accentuated in Venetian red. The same colour palette in various shades of yellow is repeated in the bare wall casting the figure’s redstained shadow against the background. The rendition of this solitary figure is accompanied by multiple-hued gestural brush marks, a signature of Anthonie Chong’s early artistic style, illustrating distinctive self-portraits and figurative pictures.
Anthonie has since progressed in visual experimentation by infusing ancient Oriental art form with ‘cyber-generation related theme’ to create new works of art. The conception of the iconic ‘e-monk’ in 2000 portrays a modern child-like figure in a traditional setting, resonating Yoshitomo Nara’s character set in a Chinese ink painting. In 2008, he produced the Gaia series which drew its inspirations from nature. The theme is divided into five elements that consist of fire, water, earth, metal and wood. The child-like figures are portrayed in surreal settings incorporated with the natural elements. The drastic transformation in style is further enhanced with the change of name from e-monk to @-monk in 2010 which is represented in three major series: Community; Gaia; and Mechanism. Anthonie’s artworks pre-2000 possess a certain quaint charm unparalleled with his recent take on innocence and naivety.
Anthonie Chong gained his early education in an independent Chinese school where he was taught Han cultural studies and calligraphy. A Graphic Design graduate of Perak Institute of Art in 1990, he was greatly influenced by social realism from his tutor who exposed him to Western art history. He later chose to explore his individual style which led him to the ‘possibility of experimenting with Eastern Surrealism in Asian paintings’.
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