SOVA2010 (Prelim 2) Model Answers

The three common criteria for SOVA assessment:

1. Artistic Perception and Interpretation (API)
2. Cultural and Aesthetic Appreciation (CAA)
3. Personal Response (PR)

Answers should make use of appropriate subject language and terminology and marks will be awarded where a candidate makes relevant answers which are effective but not fully outline in the marking scheme.

Section A:  Structured Questions:  An analysis of one work:

1.       Washing by the River by Chen Chong Swee (1950)  

Chinese Ink and Colour 145x40 cm  Singapore Art Museum

A	Q: Describe the subject matter in this painting. As a demand for descriptive and visual analysis is the main element of this question, API is important here but can also be linked to PR
	A countryside setting with foliage (trees and long grasses) such as the palm tree indicative of southeast Asia.  A river runs by from left to right in the foreground with logs and wood scraps littering the shoreline.	2
	A group of figures (4) seated or crouched, with their backs to the viewer, seemingly huddled around a bucket or a large basin suggesting a communal task.	2
	On the left a row of simple thatch buildings on stilts build shoddily or in ill repair. In the immediate foreground a thin trickle runs	2
	Figures are of equal size and are although realistic in proportion, do not have clear details suggesting their identity is not important to the composition.   They are dressed in brightly coloured clothes such as traditionally patterned and dyed sarongs.	2
	Their small size in proportion to the long narrow composition and the largeness of the palm tree in the distance suggest a reflection on human existence, that their being overwhelmed by the nature environment.	2
	A Total	10

B	Q: Comment on the use of colour and brushwork techniques. The question demands a mixture of all three (API, CAA and PR)
	The painting is done with Chinese Ink using common colours and a traditional brushwork style.	1
	The painting is rendered in mostly muted or watered down tones of brown, grey and green reflective of the earth and the environment.  The figures and some objects (unclear whether fruits or pots behind the figures) are rendered in bright colours of reds and oranges which create emphasis, contrasting with the muted tones as if to suggest the contrast of the vibrancy of the human spirit against the parched environment that threatens to overwhelm it.	2
	Brushstrokes are short, hurried strokes with create texture, particularly in the long grass in the forefront and the thatch on the hut.    The same wispy strokes are used to create the trees, adding a dimension of movement, such as rustling of the wind in the leaves.	3
	The harried brushstrokes which serve to highlight the dryness of the grasses and suggest a desperation or franticness about the hard life as lived in the country, contrast with the few smooth rolling lines which are almost non-existent and denote the river.	3
	There is a sense of shading, under the figures and the huts as well as on the palm tree that invokes a sense of realism rare in traditional Chinese ink painting.	2
	B Total	10

C	Q: How does the composition of the painting relate to South East Asian traditions? CAA is the main element in this question but elements of PR and API are also demanded.
	The artist attempts to portray the sense of community that is so prevalent and important in Southeast Asia.  He portrays a group of women gathered together beside the river immersed in a communal task of washing or preparing food.	2
	The artist may also want to suggest the importance of the environment to the inhabitants of South East Asia.  From the dry grasses, the people build their huts.  From the trees, they pluck the fruit which they eat.  From the river, they wash, drink, transport and catch their food.	2
	That the figures portray women in sarongs further capture the traditional spirit of South East Asia, showing traditional dress referring to the traditional art of Batik nad hand dying of fabrics.	2
	That there is a group of females gathered in daily task alludes to the patriarchal system where the care of food and house is left to the women of the household, whilst the man are absent from the picture, perhaps involved in pursuits of providing income for the family.	1
	The housing is simple and on stilts reflecting the pull of the natural environment on the daily life of the inhabitants.  The figures are squatting.  There is a noticeable absence of any furniture, further suggesting the South East traditional way of life.	2
	The river is placed in the forefront of the painting.  This gives it emphasis.  The artist may be reflecting on how water in the form of the river and/or the ocean is central to life in South East Asia.	1
	C Total	10

OR

2.       Brobak Bird Competition by Tan Tee Chie 1966

       Printed Wood Cut on Paper  48x63 cm  Singapore Art Museum

A	Q: Describe the subject matter portrayed in this print. Descriptive skills are the biggest demand here and the most important in this answer will be API.
	A crowd is gathered in the forefront watching a bird singing competition.  They are seated with the backs of their visible.  Only the backs of their heads are portrayed as they are watching the goings on in the field.  They are dressed in casual attire reminiscent of a neighbourhood weekend morning, one even is wearing a simple white under shirt.	3
	An open field is covered in tall poles similar to flag poles rendered in 1 point perspective in which bird cages are strung at the top. Each bird cage houses one bird.  This suggests the traditional practice of bringing caged birds to the park to allow them to experience the open fresh air and to sing with other birds.	2
	That it is not just any Saturday morning, but a competition is denoted by the row of trophies displayed on a table in front of the crowd.  Five judges (men with writing pads) stand alone beside various poles in quiet meditation, with their heads bowed as in deep concentration.  They are listening for each birds specific song in order to judge them on clarity, clearness and volume. Each pole is denoted with a number sign further suggesting the seriousness of the competition.	3
	A man in the forefront sits with his hands clasped in excitement or nervousness, while the rest of the crowd appear focused on the field, with their heads slightly tilted.  No one is talking and/or looking away.  It is as if a hush is upon the crowd.	2
	A Total	10

B	Q: What aspects of the printmaking process make this work distinctive in appearance? The main part of this question will test both API and CAA.
	The printmaking process involves many steps; draw the composition, carve the lines, add texture, then ink and print onto paper.	1
	This composition is done with wood block printing which is a relatively simple and traditional form of printing.   Wood block printing does not allow for fine lines or shading.  In order to carve the design, special tools are used.  Since the wood is a porous surface, some cuts are not precise and edges can be quite rough.
	This work is distinctive as wood block as it begins with a simple composition.  The composition is created with strong lines such as the poles and simple patterns such as the checks in the boys shirt.   It can be noticed that the lines in the flag poles are not precise and some edges are uneven.	2
	Dimension is alluded to by small lines, such as in the trophies.	2
	The idea of space is created by overlapping and 1 point perspective.  Also there is shadowing shown in the arm of  some of the crowdsmen.  However this shading is distinctive to wood block printing being made by small incisions in the wood block.	4
	The work is printied in monochrome; using black ink on white paper.  The process of printing is intaglio to add the ink to the wood block ensuring that it  wipe of excess ink
	B Total	10

C	Q: What reasons may the artist have had for choosing this technique to portray the event? PR is the main element in this question but elements of API and CAA are also demanded.
	Use of almost non-naturalistic colour to form a bold, flat pattern.	2
	Colour is not entirely used to describe the appearance of things but rather to suggest the energy of the dance and the exotic nature of the subject matter.  Colour no longer adheres to the boundaries of shapes.  Rather the edges are freely distorted to emphasize energy and movement.  The sense of space exists but is ambiguous and background colours merge one with another.	4
	The changing size of figures suggests an open space which recedes.  The main element of the composition of the dancer is enlarged to form the most prominent part of the work.	2
	Brushstrokes and textures vary with some very open, bold brushstrokes in some areas and contrasting flat areas of bright colours in others.	2
	C Total	10

Choice Two: Structured Comparison Questions: A comparison between two works.

1.  Homage to Newton by Salvador Dali (1985)
    Cast Bronze 388x210x133cm  Boat Quay, Singapore

A	Q: Compare the visual appearance of these sculptures. This section is testing API and CAA.  Comparison should include a clear visual description as to the appearance of each work and the content of the subject matter.
	In Liu Kang’s painting, the artist is seen painting a model who is a Balinese girl.  The two people have equal portrayal in the composition which is set in a landscape.  The setting is idyllic presenting a calm and colourful surrounding.  The image is made up of flat pattern and the feeling is one of calm.	5
	Workers in a Canteen is cammed with workers who fill the space.  The space is cramped and the feeling is one of bustle and activity. People eat, find spaces and queue giving a sense of a very full and active space.  The artist makes use of depth and perspective to add to the feeling of urgency and realism.  The use of contrasting tone and detail adds to the overall effect.	5
	A Total	10

B	Q: Discuss the use of materials and processes in each sculpture. This question is testing API and the understanding of sculptural forms plus formal elements of art such as colour, depth, and space and how these are used by the artist.
	The colour in Artist and Model is bright and highly contrasting, possibly influenced by some knowledge of Matisse and Fauvist ideas. Complementary reds and greens and blues and oranges are arranged in a decorative pattern.  The depth is shallow and the flat areas of colour have no modeling or shading which makes the work very two dimensional in appearance.  The pattern like structure is aided by the use of  flat white line as a contour to forms.	5
	In Workers in a Canteen the colours are somber and almost monochrome brown shades.  There is a high contrast in the tone which aids the idea of realism and helps to give a sense of depth.  Light flickers across the workers creating areas of sharp tonal contrast.  The general light effect centres the eye on the lighter toned central figure and tones darken towards the edges of the painting which is a planned strategy to keep the viewer engaged in the work.	5
	B Total	10

C	Q: In your opinion, which is more effective as a public sculpture? This question places more emphasis on PR with some on CAA
	In the Artist and Model the subject is more personal.  The feelings are optimistic and give a sense of well-being. The model is lost in thought whilst the artist concentrates on his drawing. There is also a feeling of closeness and privacy where the figures sit close together, having had tea and the mountains and landscape enclose them.	5
	By contrast Workers in a Canteen is a social commentary.  It shows the realistic conditions of factory life and how  the lunch break is at once a very busy and active moment but also a relief from work.  The artist gives us the feeling of the detached observer as if looking through a window onto the scene.  There is an element of social comment but it does not pass a judgement about conditions apart from the fact that the scene is cramped and drab working clothes predominate making the people seem less individual but actually part of a larger concern as a cog in the industrial process.	5
	C Total	10

OR

3.       My Father the Astronaut by Ibrahim Hussein (1970)

        Acrylic on Canvas 127x198cm  Provenance unknown

A	Q: Compare the treatment of subject matter in these paintings. Much of this answer relates to API
	Both works use simplified forms but Growth is abstracted from organic forms and shapes whereas the Gormley depends on a rather crude, simplified basic model of the human form.	3
	Therefore Growth appears much more abstract as it does not replicate nature.  Whilst Gormley’s work consists of thousands of human figures which occupy a large interior space to form an installation.   It creates the sense of landscape filled with people  The figures are not always displayed in the same space but are set up in different venues.	3
	In terms of materials Growth is carefully formed and carved to a smooth abstract shape which takes considerable refining.  In contrast, the treatment of materials appears in rough in Gormley’s work.  The maker moulds a rough human form without any refining apart from basic clay modeling.  A head is made clear and the eyes poked in.	4
	A Total	10

B	Q: How do artists use pictorial space and depth in these works? This question is relevant to all three with emphasis on API
	The answer should cover the reasons why these works and ideas have such differing outcomes. Both artists reduce forms to a minimal representation and this is common to art which is more about ideas than recording nature and therefore they are works of a conceptual art.  The imagination is more important that trying to record exactly what can be seen through traditional observation.	2
	In Growth the five pieces carefully relate to each other to suggest the idea of growth.  The forms are simplified and made abstract to give an organic nature to the artwork.  The artist’s idea is to suggest that the organic and abstract forms are in a constant state of transformation into some new forms.  It is as if we keep watching they might change appearance in front of us.	4
	Gromly intended his work as a public work of art and to be created with the help of the local community.  He has taken the crudest form to represent the human being.  This enable the figurines to be mass produced by hand and by any number of people who wish to take part in the artwork.  It creates a strong sense of the community.	4
	B Total	10

C	Q: Why do you think that both these artists use their parents as the theme of the work? This question places more emphasis on PR and the candidate will be expected to give reasons for their ideas and views and where possible to support them with appropriate points and examples.
	The answer must address reasons for the sculptures appearance and determine how effective the work is according to appearance, use of materials and ideas.	3
	The selected work must be defended and personal view points added.  The ‘how’ element to the question could take on working practice and what happens in both the artist’s studio and in his method of display.	3
	The candidate must then inform an opinion as to why they think the work is an effective work of art.  This will need to be supported by giving reasons why the work is successful.  Some indication of the artist’s ideas behind the sculpture will be necessary.	4
	C Total	10