Aung Khin
Encyclopedia
Aung Khin was a Burmese painter who became prominent in the Mandalay
art world. He is well-known as one of the foremost and earliest of modernistic painters in Burma.
district, the youngest of seven children. His uncle and brothers ran a mixed art workshop, where he studied from the age of twelve. When he was sixteen, he moved to Yangon
to study for five years as an apprentice under the London
-trained Ba Nyan
, whose works were primarily in a naturalistic and realistic vein.
In 1947 Aung Khin moved to Mandalay
where he married Tin Tin Aye. He became active in the Mandalay Artist's Association, and eventually became Secretary and President of the association. In Mandalay, he became an associate of Kin Maung
(Bank)., a well-known Mandalay artist who proselytized heavily for a modernistic movement in painting in Burma through sponsoring workshops and writing papers.
In 1978 he and his daughter Cho Cho Aung, also a painter, set up the Panthu Sanda Children's Art Centre. In 1981 he was elected vice president of the Traditional Art Association, and in 1994 he was made patron of the Mandalay Artists Association. In 1996 he started the Yellow Art Gallery in Mandalay, which is today run by his daughter Cho Cho Aung.
, what has been described as a conceptual expressionism
and other forms of abstract painting, including cubism
. However, he attempted to develop a uniquely Burmese style in his work, often rendering figures in his expressionist paintings with bold outlines and strong color contrast showing influence of the ancient mural painting of Bagan
.
One of his more intriguing explorations was using abstract non-figurative paintng as a means to express Buddhist concepts beyond the earthly (difficultly-visualized) realm, or one might say life after death in Brahmaloka and Devaloka
, asking "How shall I draw the abode of Man and Deva?"
His wife died in June 1994. After his wife died, perhaps realizing that his days left were numbered, he became extremely prolific, painting night and day. When he died, he left in the vicinity of 100 unsold paintings in his home in the care of his daughter Cho Cho Aung.His Bhuddist paintings were among these last works. Aung Khin died on 14 May 1996.
Mandalay
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 ....
art world. He is well-known as one of the foremost and earliest of modernistic painters in Burma.
Training, Memberships, and Associations
Aung Khin was born on 13 February 1921 in Nat Kyun Aung Myay village, Hsalingyi township, MonywaMonywa
Monywa is a city in Sagaing Division, Myanmar, located 136 km northwest of Mandalay on the eastern bank of the River Chindwin.-Transport:...
district, the youngest of seven children. His uncle and brothers ran a mixed art workshop, where he studied from the age of twelve. When he was sixteen, he moved to Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
to study for five years as an apprentice under the 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...
-trained Ba Nyan
Ba Nyan
Ba Nyan was a Burmese painter who has been called the greatest name in modern painting in Myanmar. His oil paintings were quiet and academic in their style, but display occasional flashes of virtuosity in bold brushstrokes and skillful handling of the medium....
, whose works were primarily in a naturalistic and realistic vein.
In 1947 Aung Khin moved to Mandalay
Mandalay
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 ....
where he married Tin Tin Aye. He became active in the Mandalay Artist's Association, and eventually became Secretary and President of the association. In Mandalay, he became an associate of Kin Maung
Kin Maung
Kin Maung was a Burmese painter and sponsor of the arts who was influential in the art world of Mandalay, Myanmar. More importantly, however, he was the major force for the development of a modernistic movement in painting in Burma, which began in the early 1960s.In 1952, Kin Maung became a bank...
(Bank)., a well-known Mandalay artist who proselytized heavily for a modernistic movement in painting in Burma through sponsoring workshops and writing papers.
In 1978 he and his daughter Cho Cho Aung, also a painter, set up the Panthu Sanda Children's Art Centre. In 1981 he was elected vice president of the Traditional Art Association, and in 1994 he was made patron of the Mandalay Artists Association. In 1996 he started the Yellow Art Gallery in Mandalay, which is today run by his daughter Cho Cho Aung.
Early Recognition
In 1952 Aung Khin won first prize for an oil painting in a USIS-sponsored All Burma Competition, and in 1960-61 he had several one-man shows in Mandalay and Yangon,one of which was sponsored by the Burma-America Institute.Oeuvre
Aung Khin's work largely reflected the European influence of the colonial-era Burmese artists. This included impressionismImpressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
, what has been described as a conceptual expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
and other forms of abstract painting, including cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
. However, he attempted to develop a uniquely Burmese style in his work, often rendering figures in his expressionist paintings with bold outlines and strong color contrast showing influence of the ancient mural painting of Bagan
Bagan
Bagan , formerly Pagan, is an ancient city in the Mandalay Region of Burma. Formally titled Arimaddanapura or Arimaddana and also known as Tambadipa or Tassadessa , it was the capital of several ancient kingdoms in Burma...
.
One of his more intriguing explorations was using abstract non-figurative paintng as a means to express Buddhist concepts beyond the earthly (difficultly-visualized) realm, or one might say life after death in Brahmaloka and Devaloka
Devaloka
In Indian religions, a devaloka or deva loka is a plane of existence where gods and devas exist. The deva lokas are usually described as places of eternal light and goodness, similar to the concept of Heaven...
, asking "How shall I draw the abode of Man and Deva?"
His wife died in June 1994. After his wife died, perhaps realizing that his days left were numbered, he became extremely prolific, painting night and day. When he died, he left in the vicinity of 100 unsold paintings in his home in the care of his daughter Cho Cho Aung.His Bhuddist paintings were among these last works. Aung Khin died on 14 May 1996.