When the southern wind first blew, it was 10 March 1938—the founding day of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in Singapore. Its founder, Lim Hak Tai, an art educator from Xiamen, China, proposed a vital artistic vision: to fuse Eastern and Western techniques and ideas in order to depict the landscapes, cultures and everyday life of the Nanyang, or Southeast Asia. This philosophy gave rise to the celebrated “Nanyang School”, which profoundly influenced modern art in Singapore, Malaysia and the wider Southeast Asian region, leaving an enduring mark on art history.

Four key figures came to represent the Nanyang School. Liu Kang, who studied in France, was influenced by Fauvism and modernism, known for his bold use of colour. Chen Wen Hsi excelled in Chinese ink techniques and became renowned for his paintings of gibbons and tropical animals. Chen Chong Swee combined Chinese brushwork with Western composition to evoke calm and lyrical spaces. Cheong Soo Pieng, who also studied in Paris, developed a modern style that moved toward abstraction. Teaching at NAFA from the 1930s through the 1950s, they shaped several generations of artists in Singapore and Malaysia, fostering a vibrant artistic climate rooted in local identity, with many artists developing distinctive personal styles.

Among the works presented in this exhibition, Tham Peng Choon’s watercolour landscapes beautifully merge ink techniques with Western perspective, transforming the humble scenery of Ipoh into poetic, dreamlike visions that evoke spiritual calm. Chung Chen Sun’s bold and expressive ink brushwork conveys the free vitality of bamboo, lotus and waterbirds. Yong Khek Cheong, drawing upon a spirit of Zen contemplation, paints lush forests, drifting boats, quiet streams, ancient rocks and dancing figures in oils; his colours may be vibrant or subdued, yet all carry a lingering sense of meditative stillness. Chai Hoy Sai, through luminous colours and a refined, classical technique, reimagines contemporary local figures and fruits in the guise of Renaissance subjects, shifting time and space to create a broader artistic realm. The works of other artists likewise reveal many compelling artistic sensibilities worth lingering over.

When the southern wind rises, the scent of the sea recalls those teachers who journeyed south from China, tirelessly imparting their knowledge and wisdom of painting to earlier generations of artists. As the southern wind blows once more, we are given the chance to view, collect and preserve the works of their successors, who carry forward that spirit and technique. We do not know when the wind will return again after this passing. Treasure the present moment, and face the future without regret.

Curator
Younie Wong

当南风初起时，是在1938年3月10日，也是新加坡南洋美术专科学校成立时刻（Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts，简称 NAFA）。创办人林学大·，是来自中国厦门的一位艺术教育家，提出一个重要的艺术理念，就是要融合东方与西方的艺术技法与理念，用以表现南洋，即东南亚一带的地方特色与风土人情。这个艺术宗旨与思想，成就了如今著名的“南洋画派”，对于新加坡、马来西亚，以及整个东南亚现代艺术皆产生深远的影响，并且造就了一段不可磨灭的历史轨迹。

南洋画派的四位代表人物，刘抗，留学法国，深受野兽派与现代主义的影响，色彩强烈；陈文希，擅长中国笔墨技法，以画猿猴与热带动物著名；陈宗瑞，以中国技法融合西方构图，表达平静与空灵境界；钟泗滨，曾在巴黎修学，风格现代并趋于抽象。这四位老师当年都在学校授课，从30年代开始至50年代，也影响了新马好几代人。也在这两个区域，创造一股地方特色浓烈的艺术氛围，有的更是发展出自我风格的绘画手法。

譬如今次展出的艺术作品中，谭炳泉的水彩风景作品，着实的融合了水墨技法与西方透视，把怡保一带的朴实景色，镶嵌了一股浪漫与梦幻的意境，展示空灵与心灵的平静精神观景；钟正山独特的豪放潇洒的水墨笔触，带出竹子与荷花与鸟鹭的自由与奔放的生命力；杨克昌，秉承着禅修的意境，以油画绘画出茂密青葱的树林、无拘的船、悠闲的流水、老神自在的石头、奔放的舞者，色彩可烈可静，但都覆盖一股禅的韵味，静谧且味远；谢惠载，复古靓丽的技法与色彩，把当代本土的人与水果，都转化成了文艺复兴时代的人与物，转换了空间，创造了更辽阔的艺术境界；还有其他老师们的作品，都有许多可以玩味的艺术触觉。

当南风吹起，海水的味道让我们想起当年从中国南来的老师们，孜孜不倦地传授他们的绘画知识与智慧，予我们艺术界的老前辈们。当南风再次吹起，我们才有机会去观赏与收藏，传承了他们的精神智慧与技法的后人的作品。我们不知道这阵南风过后，何时还有再吹的时候。且珍惜当下，无悔未来！

馆长
黄婉圆 撰