The artist must train the eyes. Train the way the brain and the hands work together. While most have the belief that artistic talent is born, much of it is, to be honest, learned. And throughout all times of creation, and in this time right now, artists have so created a very subtle and very intense relationship between what the eyes see and the ability to get the hands to put that on paper or canvas or to pull it out the marble or clay. And while some create landscape paintings or floral designs, and some build buildings or design houses, others are right now, designing the 2015 model for the next BMW. Artists have stated that the most difficult subject to capture, is the human form. Years are spent in art schools around the world, spent with students drawing and observing the human form. And it is said quite frequently in the art world, that if you can paint a human you can paint anything. In Singapore it has become an ironic situation, for as the country is striving to be atop the list of the most successful and artistic in the creative world, to join the company of New York or Paris or Rome, the ideas that are ingrained in their culture regarding nudity, create a bit of conundrum. The nude body is needed in art class, but the models are viewed in negative light. A nude model in Singapore is seen by some as unethical or lacking character, and is regarded in much the same way as the prostitute is regarded in society.
Singapore is desiring to thrive in the world of international art, and to be in the company of such cultural and artistic heartbeats as Paris with salons in the 1920′s or as Manhattan with Washington Square Park in the 1960′s. The government holds sessions to attempt to ‘figure out’ how these cities garnered such a following and such an emotional, as well as technical and economic, following. Festivals are planned such as the Biennale or the Showcase Singapore, draw crowds, but leave the local artists wondering if it is really about the art, or just simply about the commerce. And every business, the business of art as well, must be concerned with the bottom line, Singapore 5 star resorts are just as concerned with the economy as the artist selling their work on the street. The point is, that much of was is created in art is the body, and in a city-state wherein so many are investigating ways to climb the ladder, the view of the nude form seems a bit old fashioned. Some of the most famous pieces throughout art history are based on the nude, and in Singapore, galleries have been required by law to remove some of those paintings from their walls. Artists have been forced to censor what they create. This topic has prompted heated debates and discussions, in relation to not only the art world, but the views as a culture and society on the whole.