Chosen text – obituary
Sources used : Tommy Koh’s interview in The Straits Times
Renowned ‘global artist’ GEORGETTE CHEN, dies at age 86 in Singapore, after leaving behind a rich and beautiful legacy across the world
Georgette Chen (Chang Li Ying) was born in 1906, China, to a wealthy antique dealer with businesses in London, Paris, and New York. From a young age, Ms.Chen was set on pursuing art. Her artworks were influenced by the experiences and perspectives she obtained throughout her life, which coincided with both world wars and the Chinese revolutions. Ms.Chen’s first husband, Eugene Chen–acting foreign minister during Sun Yat Sen’s presidency–died as a prisoner of war in 1944 in Shanghai. In 1947, Ms.Chen married Ho Yung Chi. The couple moved to Penang in 1951, shortly before they divorced and parted ways.
Ms.Chen started a new chapter by moving to Singapore to teach at NAFA in 1953. Students and colleagues have spoken of Ms.Chen’s affinity for the Malay community, as many of the painting in the National Gallery exhibition showcase Malays, and she also learnt to speak the language. Singapore’s multiculturalism is what inspired Ms.Chen to use local scenery to develop her own painting style. The many friends she had, some that included her own students, support the claims regarding her friendly, social nature. During her time at NAFA, Ms.Chen lived through Singapore’s independence in 1965, and became a pioneer artist who is part of Singapore’s first-generation community, making her a prominent figure in the birth of Singapore’s culture and identity.
Ms.Chen passed away on 15th March, 1993, in Mount Alvernia Hospital. Ms.Chen’s estate was auctioned off, and her investments were sold off in shares and stocks. Her proceeds were distributed to worthy causes such as the Georgette Chen Arts Scholarship, community welfare projects for the Malay community, and a new building for the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations.
Despite leaving no heirs, Ms.Chen’s legacy will be carried forward, and she will forever be recognised as a trailblazer of the Singapore art movement.
Memorial details:
Date : 16th March, 1993, 6pm
Thank you to the Straits Times, close friends of Georgette Chen, and the NAFA institution.
“Art to me is a labour of love and like such labours expects neither gain nor rewards and brings meaning into one’s life” – Georgette Chen
Conventions :
- Length : I’ve noticed that obituaries are generally brief, perhaps because can take up a maximum portion of a newspaper, or because they only include factual/general information on the individual. Personal, emotive details and stories are used in the eulogies, which are longer.
- Formality/tone : In obituaries, the objective is to inform–as a form of respect–the audience, not limited to family/close friends, about someone’s death. As a result, the tone is generally formal and the deceased individual is referred to as their full name or Ms/Mr––. This contrasts a eulogy, or Tommy Koh’s interview, where individuals will be free to use their personal nicknames as a way of recollecting their relationships and memories with the person in an authentic, personal way.
- Background info – all obituaries include basic information such as year of birth, profession, marriages, family/children, etc
- Memorial – because obituaries are posted soon after the person’s death and shortly before the memorial, a public memorial might have the address/timing details written on the newspaper for the reader’s reference
- Photo – the photo of the deceased individual is generally one of them looking happy, and of a younger version of themselves from a while back, perhaps as a way to get people to reminisce about that person’s whole life, rather than just the end.
- Heading/titles- Especially in obituaries where the deceased individual is someone celebrated/significant, they are given a title to exemplify their impact and legacy. In this case, Chen was a crucial stakeholder in the becoming of Singapore’s culture and artistic identity, therefore I chose to use that as I crafted a name for her (Global artist, trailblazer)