CHIJ ST JOSEPH’S CONVENT ART SOVA SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND ANS

Section A: Structured Questions Answer all of the parts (a-c) of each question. 1 National Language Class, 1959 by Chua Mia Tee [Fig. 1] Oil on canvas, 112 x 153 cm. (a) Describe the visual appearance of the work. [10] (b) Discuss the use of colour and brushwork in this work. [10] (c) How did the artist bring out his intentions with the use of artistic devices? [10]

Figure 1 National Language Class, 1959 by Chua Mia Tee, Oil on canvas, 112 x 153 cm

3 My Dress Hangs There, 1933 by Frida Kahlo [Fig. 3a] Oil and collage on Masonite, 45 x 50 cm. The Human condition, 1933 by Rene Magritte [Fig. 3b] Oil on canvas, 80 x 100 cm. Fig. 3a My Dress Hangs There, 1933 by Frida Kahlo, Oil and collage on masonite, 45 x 50 cm. Fig. 3b The Human Condition, 1933 by Rene Magritte, Oil on canvas, 100 x 81 cm. (a) Describe the subject matter of both works. [10] (b) Compare the use of colour and medium in both works. [10] (c) Discuss which of these works you find more engaging as a Surreal work of art. [10]

Suggested answer scheme 1 National Language Class, 1959 by Chua Mia Tee Oil on canvas, 112 x 153 cm. (a) Describe the visual appearance of the work. Begin the answer with an introduction of the work. National Language Class is an oil painting by Chua Mia Tee depicting a group of adults learning the National language – Malay. This painting is set in the 1950s where Singapore was gaining independence. Continue with other descriptions: -this is an oil painting depicting a classroom setting, there are 8 students as well as their teacher -from the blackboard and the writing materials, we can infer that the human figures depicted are having a lesson -from the clothes they are wearing, we can tell that they are adults and are probably attending the lesson after work as all of them were not wearing uniform -we can also tell that the figures are from the 1950s which was when the painting was created -from the title, we can tell that the students are learning the National language which is Malay -from their skin tone, we can tell that the students were all Chinese and the teacher was on Malay ethnicity -the room looks rather cramped and the students are seated very closely together, the students are also sitting on stools instead of chairs which would take up more space in the small room -the figures are gathered around a circular table, the teacher standing on the left is balanced by the student standing on the right, creating a balanced composition -the 2 standing figures are near the one third point, creating a golden section -the man in light blue shirt, with his back facing the audience is closest to the audience and is depicted as the largest, suggesting a one point perspective -the lines on the wall also denote a space and the vanishing point -the classroom is seen at an angle, with dynamic diagonal lines cutting across the canvas -the human forms are all looking at dif