Georgette Chen | Lion Dance Mask 'R

Lion Dance Mask by Georgette Chen in 1985 ' Oil on canvas

This is a painting of a Lion Dance mask with an interesting mix of colours used. The artist has used cool and lighter tones of bright colours to paint this image. Usually, bright, vibrant colours of red, orange, and greens would have been used to paint anything related to lion dances as those colours would represent the loud beating of drums, cymbals and gongs. However, Georgette Chen has used a more toned-down version of those colours, thus resuting in a cool image in my opinion. The oil on canvas has allowed her to create textures and streaks of colours, creating a roughly blended look.The main focus point of this painting is obviously the lion dance mask, and in overall, is a balanced painting. Still, looking at this artwork prompts me to think of her reasons for her selection of colours. It is quite a confusing painting to me as not only did she choose cool tones for her lion dance mask, but she also painted the background as light pastel blue. This has allowed the whole artwork to look balanced, but she could also have used a brighter colour to make the lion head stand out. In conclusion, it is a balanced painting indeed, but I cannot grasp the intended purpose of it.