Saw Maung (painter)
Encyclopedia
Saw Maung was a Burmese artist. He was the son of the artist Saya Aye (painter) (1872–1930), who in turn was an apprentice of Saya Chone (1866–1917), a young Royal Artist under King Thibaw. Thus, Saw Maung could directly trace his history of training back to the pre-colonial times of Upper Burma when the country was still a monarchy and when Traditional paintings of Buddhist religious scenes was the dominant genre of production.
in 1900, and began his career as an artist at the age of 14, under his father, Saya Aye, whose business he inherited.
In the early colonial period, he achieved recognition through his paintings to illustrate magazines such as the Myanmar Alin, Dagon and Kawi Myethman.
After the Second World War, he visited London
, where he studied European styles of painting,
and also took trips to the USA, China, and Hong Kong. His paintings exhibited fine workmanship. His illustrations of the sixteen point dreams of King Pasenadi
of Kosala
still hang on the side walls of Kyauktawgyi pagoda.
Other painters in his crew, such as Ba Moe (1912–96) (his son-in-law), Kham Lun (1915–85), Kan Chun (Painter) (1928–95) (not to be confused with Kan Chun, the cartoonist), and Ohn Maung (1918–96) also sometimes produced stunning secular paintings, usually in oil. Because many of these painters were busy making a living under Saw Maung, their secular oeuvres are generally not large, and they and Saw Maung cannot be said to have belonged to a "movement" of art in Burma per se.
Life and Work
Saw Maung was widely known for his paintings about the life stories of the Buddha and also for a smaller oeuvre of Western-style portraits and landscapes. He was born in MandalayMandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
in 1900, and began his career as an artist at the age of 14, under his father, Saya Aye, whose business he inherited.
In the early colonial period, he achieved recognition through his paintings to illustrate magazines such as the Myanmar Alin, Dagon and Kawi Myethman.
After the Second World War, he visited London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he studied European styles of painting,
and also took trips to the USA, China, and Hong Kong. His paintings exhibited fine workmanship. His illustrations of the sixteen point dreams of King Pasenadi
Pasenadi
Pasenadi was a dynasty ruler of Kosala. He succeeded his father . He was a prominent of Gautama Buddha, who built many Buddhist monasteries.-Life:...
of Kosala
Kosala
Kosala was an ancient Indian region, corresponding roughly in area with the region of Awadh in present day Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya and the Jaina text, the Bhagavati Sutra, Kosala was one of the Solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE and its cultural and...
still hang on the side walls of Kyauktawgyi pagoda.
Legacy
It is difficult to judge Saw Maung's legacy for he spent most of his life painting Buddhist works for pagodas and temples in Upper Burma during a period of time when the vanguard in painting in Burma had switched to secular fine-art works heavily influenced by Western techniques and subjects. Saw Maung had as many as 20 painters working in his crew, depicting Buddhist works throughout Burma. The painters under his instruction or pay did fine art secular work in their free time as Saw Maung did. Among his crew were his close contemporaries, Chit Myae (c. 1903-76) and Chit Maung (1908–73), who became well-known secular-style watercolorists.Other painters in his crew, such as Ba Moe (1912–96) (his son-in-law), Kham Lun (1915–85), Kan Chun (Painter) (1928–95) (not to be confused with Kan Chun, the cartoonist), and Ohn Maung (1918–96) also sometimes produced stunning secular paintings, usually in oil. Because many of these painters were busy making a living under Saw Maung, their secular oeuvres are generally not large, and they and Saw Maung cannot be said to have belonged to a "movement" of art in Burma per se.
Awards
- Awarded the Alinga Kyaw Zaw, the highest title that can be bestowed on an artist. The title has only been awarded to two painters, Saw Maung and Ngwe GaingNgwe GaingNgwe Gaing was a Burmese artist who worked in both oil and watercolor. After the death of his teacher Ba Nyan, he was recognized as the greatest living painter in Myanmar. He had great influence on the next generation of artists, and his works are now highly sought after.-Life:Of Burmese Chinese...
.
Collections
- National Museum of MyanmarNational Museum of MyanmarThe National Museum of Myanmar, , located in Dagon, Yangon, is the main museum of Burmese art, history and culture in Myanmar. Founded in 1952, the five-story museum has an extensive collection of ancient artifacts, ornaments, works of art, inscriptions and historic memorabilia, related to history,...
- Fukuoka Asian Art MuseumFukuoka Art MuseumFukuoka Art Museum is an encyclopedic art museum in Fukuoka, Japan. It contains a notable collection of Asian art and exhibits various temporary exhibitions - in November 2010 it hosted a large exhibition of Marc Chagall's work.-External links:*...
- Singapore Art MuseumSingapore Art MuseumThe Singapore Art Museum contains the national art collection of Singapore. It has a collection of 7,750 pieces of Singaporean and Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art, and has an expanding collection of new Asian and international contemporary art.- History :Officially opened in 1996, it...