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He
has often said that in his early days he turned
to modernism, but felt it did not give him enough
satisfaction. Then he became influenced by traditional
western art with its muted greys and subdued tones.
“Then I realize this is not it: our colours,
under our tropical sun, are completely different.
They are warm, they are intense, and even the
shadows also contain elements of this warmth and
brightness. When I began to explore what I would
say the ‘Burmese’ character of the
colours, my palette changed to lemon yellows,
cadmiums, light reds, yellow ochre and hints of
viridian. |
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By
that time, he was visiting U Ngwe Gaing regularly
at the master’s studio to watch him paint.
“He had this way of never mixing colours
on his palette: he would pick up a few colours
on his brush and with one stroke of his writ apply
the brush lightly to the canvas. And there it
was, in one stroke, the colours rich, pure, shimmering,
unlike anything I’ve seen before. It took
me months of practice but this is the legacy I
got from him.”
Through his hobby of photography, he became a
successful movie director in the mid seventies,
proudly using the prefix ‘Baji’ meaning
art in front of his name to show that he is primarily
a painter.
Marriage to a popular and beautiful star Tin Tin
Nyo followed and he went on to make over 50 movies
and over 200 videos. By the mid 1990s, he felt
that his heart truly belonged with painting. His
wonderful wife and daughter understood and supported
his decision to give up a lucrative career to
embark on what he could not promise to be a successful
career as a painter, after nearly 25 years absence
from the work which is his true love. |
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Sincerity of will and
true talent, however, could not be ignored.
He became overwhelmingly successful with
collectors from all over the world arriving
at his doorstep by word of mouth. His first
show abroad was in Malaysia in 1997, follwored
by almost annual shows in the United Kingdom,
Bali, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and South Korea.
His works are in collections in Australia,
Canada, France, Hong Kong, India, Japan,
Malaysia, Myanmar. Portugal, Singapore,
Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and USA.
He has had four solo shows, two in Myanmar,
one in Hong Kong and another in Bali. He
returned briefly to the movie industry in
2003 to direct a film on AIDS, which he
truly wanted to do and which won him an
academy award.
Although his paintings are seemingly complicated,
his skilled and quicksilver brushworks give
them a sense of freshness and simplicity.
“In whatever manner a painting is
done, whether it si carefully and painstakingly
executed or in flashing quick strokes, it
remains art. You cannot define art by the
style or technique it is done, it is free.
It belongs to everyone, but I feel that
one does need sincerity in the process of
creation: just this pure, simply need to
create without any other motives.”
His paintings portray the Burmese nature
in all its aspects.
“Nature,” he said, “is
infinite: there is no end to search for
all colours she wears, all the hues she
displays. She changes all the time, parts
of her decay, die, and are constantly renewed.
She continually gives new insights to the
painter.”
I n a sense, he had made nature his true
teacher and delves into his inner self and
sincerity to create his canvases. |
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“Nature belongs to everyone,”
he says, “She does not limit herself to
anymore and no one has a right to her or even
different aspects of her. Everyone, painter, writer,
musician, can have their own interpretation of
her, their own style of representation. She is
life, and life belongs to everyone.”
To see a Soe Moe painting is to see life. His
human figures are caught in a fraction of a second
during their everyday lives.
“I will continue to change,” he said,
“My work as an artist is ever changing,
whether it is in technicality, insight, my inner
most feelings, or my beliefs. Change in me as
painter is an on-going process.”
Whatever turns Soe Moe takes as an artist in the
future, one thing is certain: he remains a man
of his own destiny. |
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Copyright
© 2005 Pangyi Soe Moe. All rights reserved.
Best viewed at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. |
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