AOTM: Mending Nets by Kuo Ju Ping

This 1950 watercolour piece by Kuo Ju Ping depicts a scene of villagers mending their fishing nets. Viewers of this piece today would likely read it as a depiction of bygone village life that many living in the urban areas now have lost. The paper has yellowed over time and this warm cast to the colours resembles old photographs, which adds to the nostalgic impression.

But Kuo’s brushstrokes have not been affected by the age of the piece. The more delicate strokes that make up the leaves of the coconut trees are still evident here. They contrast well with the larger brushstrokes depicting the ground, nets, and the roofs of the houses in the back.  While the colours have certainly faded or yellowed as well, the touches of red in the fishing nets and in the background figure’s clothing are still evident and they draw the eye to the centre of the image where the main focus is. 

There is a sense of activity here in the figures: three people mending nets, and one a little way back walking into the house—perhaps to get some other materials? This gives life to a picture where, at first glance, it may seem like there is little motion. Kuo was known for his paintings of Malaysian scenes, and Mending Nets is an example of his specialty. 

Kuo Ju Ping was originally from Fujian, China. He moved to Malaya in his teenage years, remaining until his death in 1966. He studied at Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and was in the first graduating batch of art students. Kuo managed his family’s import/export business and in his spare time, gave art lessons to secondary schools in Penang such as Chung Ling High School and Union School. Kuo was one of the founders of the Penang Chinese Art Club in the 1930s. Kuo’s work has been exhibited in various places, including the Fukuoka Art Museum in Japan and the National Art Gallery of Malaysia. There have also been three retrospectives of his work in Penang.