LEE See Sin 李士心
Visual Arts,
Accession Number 003736
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 13
Total Reels
- Teo Kian Giap
Interviewer
- 10:58:49
Total Running Time
- Mandarin
Language
Copyright Notice
All rights to the recordings and transcripts on this website, including the rights to copy, publish, broadcast and perform, are reserved. Written permission is required for any use. If you have any queries, please contact nas@nlb.gov.sg
Reel/Disc 1 of 13
Metadata
- 11 May 2012
Recording Date
- 00:58:39
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee was born in 1939, Singapore. Father went to China to fight the war (南桥技工) and interviewee stayed with mother and grandmother in Tras Street, Tanjong Pagar. His mother worked in a Japanese hostel during Japanese Occupation. One of the housewives liked interviewee very much. Interviewee stayed in a one-bed lodging in Tras Street. He talked about the area, recalled opium dens there. After the Japanese surrendered, mother washed laundry for a living and father returned from China and worked as a driver. Interviewee stayed with his father and brother in Dublin Road (near Killiney Road).
Interviewee studied in Khee Fatt School (Qifa 启发 Primary School) and Min Zhong School 民众学校 (primary school). He next studied in Chinese High where the school had three specialised art teachers – Mr Chen Wen Hsi, Liu Kang and Chen Chong Swee. Interviewee had to spend time in his room in the evening revising his school work. He started to draw by copying images from rented comic books. He talked about lessons in Chinese High. He helped out in his uncle’s provision shop. He left the job after he was accused of stealing things. He next worked half day in Oriental Studio (东方画室) and continued school in Chinese High. He talked about life as an apprentice.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 13
Metadata
- 11 May 2012
Recording Date
- 00:55:59
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee talked about his home in Dublin Road where many Hainanese stayed. Many Hainanese sold beef and mutton in Orchard Road market. His uncle would slaughter the sheep in Jalan Besar and sold the sheep's head/feet to the kambing soup stalls. Cold Storage was operating in Orchard Road. Interviewee collected milk cans to be sold as containers for fighting fish. They also caught spiders for fighting. Interviewee remembered his Chinese High School teacher Liu Kang who had a teaching studio Morrow Studio 明日画室 in Kirk Terrace. He mentioned his school teacher Wang Zhen Nan 王振南. Talked about student unrests in 1954 and the disruptions to studies. His teachers advised him and interviewee enrolled into Nanyang Fine Arts College (NAFA) in 1957. He felt a sense of regret leaving Chinese High. He talked about the society Zhong Xue Sheng Lian He Hui 中学生联合会. As he had Secondary Three education, he was enrolled into the morning session of the Art Education Department 艺术教育系. Tuition fee was $15 a month. Western art was taught in the morning and Chinese painting in the afternoon. The campus was at St Thomas Walk.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 13
Metadata
- 14 May 2012
Recording Date
- 00:58:15
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee enrolled in Nanyang Fine Arts College on the advice of his teachers. The foundation course was conducted by Mr See Cheen Tee. The students went to various places in Singapore for painting. He talked about his teachers Georgette Chen and Cheong Soo Pieng. A few former students who studied in France came back and held an exhibition in Singapore. This inspired interviewee to study in France. With the financial assistance of his uncle, interviewee quitted his job and studied full time in Singapore first. He learnt Chinese painting from Mr Chen Wen Hsi, Mr See Hiang Tuo and Mr Chen Chong Swee. Some students did not want to learn Chinese paintings due to political beliefs and some joined the Equator Art Society.
Cheong Soo Pieng had a studio in the campus and the students helped in selling his works. Interviewee gave his impression of Cheong. He also talked about the principal, Lim Hak Tai, who was a nice person. He talked briefly on the Chinese painting lessons. He mentioned Straits Art Co. Pte Ltd 海峡美术公司 where students bought the materials from. There were many Malaya students studying at Nanyang Fine Arts College. Interviewee and a few students rented a room near the campus.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 13
Metadata
- 14 May 2012
Recording Date
- 00:58:36
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee said that the syllabus of the art education system was similar to the Western art department. There was a final year graduation exhibition in Victoria Memorial Hall but no publication, as the students were split into two factions. Interviewee learnt the basics in Nanyang Fine Arts College. He however discovered that his qualifications could not qualify him to teach art in schools. His uncle assisted him to study overseas and he started by studying full time in Nanyang Fine Arts College. He and his classmates went to Malaya on painting trips. Interviewee learnt French in Alliance Francaise in Tank Road. Mr Li Xing Ke 李星可, who worked at Agence France, assisted by sending his portfolio to the school. He talked about the journey to France by sea. His student life in Paris. He mentioned his flatmate, music student Mr Chua Kah Pin.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 13
Metadata
- 21 May 2012
Recording Date
- 00:54:45
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee talked about his studies in Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts, which included attending oil painting and wall mural classes. He also participated in the Salon exhibitions. Interviewee acted as extras on movie sets to supplement his income. He also took on vacation jobs. At times, he did not have enough to eat. After two to three years in Paris, interviewee held a solo exhibition. Only one painting was sold. In 1963, interviewee felt like going to US and visiting his uncle. He first went to London to study English. He talked about his stay in London while applying for his visa to US. He boarded a vessel to New York.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 13
Metadata
- 21 May 2012
Recording Date
- 00:56:20
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee arrived in New York to visit his uncle. He studied in Arts Students League of New York. He and fellow Singaporean students also worked as bus boys in Chinese restaurants. He also worked in an art decorative company and later as an portrait artist. He spent his summer drawing portraits at Cape Cod. He talked about life in the States. He decided to look for opportunities in Singapore in 1966 when Singapore became independent. He worked in the Thai Pavilion of the 1964 World Expo held in Queens. He was present at the Singapore flag raising ceremony in the United Nations. He visited a few cities before arriving in Singapore. He rented a flat in Singapore but could not get a job for over a year. Later, he did type-setting work and art teaching. His uncle visited him and interviewee decided to hold his wedding then. Interviewee managed to secure a job as a designer in Radio Television Singapore (RTS). He shared on the selection process. His income included basic pay with allowance. The TV station was organized into Central Production Unit and Programme Department.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 13
Metadata
- 21 May 2012
Recording Date
- 00:42:34
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
The initial broadcasting hours in Radio Television Singapore (RTS) was only few hours per day and it was black and white productions. Budget for the TV programmes were not high. Interviewee talked about production design for TV productions. Mentioned his terms of salary and commented that financial situation was not good at that time. He was called to serve national service in his late 20s. He was later transferred to part-time People’s Defence Force (PDF). When the PDF was dissolved, he was transferred to the Vigilante Corps and worked in the Art Department. Colour TV production was introduced in 1975 and interviewee attended course to adapt to the new technology and production method. He was involved in the Prime Minister’s National Day Rally speech.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 13
Metadata
- 6 Jun 2012
Recording Date
- 00:57:58
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee talked about the preparation for Prime Minister’s National Day Rally speech in National Theatre. He talked about National Theatre. Radio Television Singapore (RTS) was corporatized in 1980. The Chinese drama unit was set up and foreign professionals came to work. Actors training courses were held. For the filming of 'The Awakening'( 雾锁南洋), a street scene resembling Kreta Ayer was built in the station. Other studios were built subsequently. Interviewee became Head of Design in the 1980s. He was involved in making props for TV shows. He talked about the operations and working styles of foreign TV staff. Computers were introduced in the 1980s but production designs were still done manually. He talked about the pay scale and salary of a designer. The specifications of the props were later standardised to enable recycling in other productions. The design team also sourced for props from sponsors.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 13
Metadata
- 6 Jun 2012
Recording Date
- 00:44:26
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) constructed a movie set in Tuas, which consisted of scenes of Chinatown, Malay Kampung and Colonial buildings. Interviewee and his team were involved in the research and design of these street scenes. The contractor could not comprehend that the buildings were used only as facades for TV filming, and insisted to use cement to build the structure. Budget thus went up and the management decided to scale down the project. Interviewee quoted the example of the construction of the Chinatown building staircase, where the inclination was modified from the original 60 degrees to 45 degrees. Due to the reduced scale of the movie set, TV producers did not use it often. New management was helming SBC and made changes to the operations of the TV station. Interviewee decided to have early retirement in 1994. In 1989, interviewee was awarded the Efficiency Medal. Interviewee designed album covers for Radio Television Singapore (RTS) Enterprises, a subsidiary of the TV station. He gave his brief impression of Foong Choon Hon 冯仲汉. He also did stage design for Wisma Theatre (海燕歌剧院) on freelance basis. He also taught art on a part-time basis at Yamaha Music School.
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Reel/Disc 10 of 13
Metadata
- 8 Jun 2012
Recording Date
- 00:57:53
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee did not have much time for art and he could not find much art-related jobs. He thought of teaching in Nanyang Fine Arts College but the financial situation of the institution was not healthy. The principal Lim Yew Kuan announced the closure of the college in 1973. A committee was formed to raise funds through sale of paintings. In 1979, the college met with financial difficulties again and the Ministry of Education recommended retired Hwa Chong Junior College principal, Mr Wu Tsung Kan to be the new principal. The college moved to the former San San School (三山学校) building in Sophia Road owned by Singapore Foochow Association, as the St Thomas Walk building was no longer available. It next rented the former Nan Hua Girls’ School in Mount Sophia (Adis Road) and the Selegie School (Short Street). Mr Wu introduced several new disciplines through the years, including applied art, music, dance and fashion design.
The Nanyang Fine Arts College Alumni was formed in 1974, after the 1973 fundraising event. It was from the fundraising event onwards that interviewee started to paint more seriously again. He and four other artists (eg. Goh Beng Kwan, Chieu Shuey Fook) rented a unit in the former Gilman Road army barracks. In the 1980s, Tang Liang Hong became the Chairman of Nanyang Fine Arts College Board of Management. Mr Wu also formed an Advisory Panel where interviewee was a member. Interviewee later took over from watercolourist Mr Gog Sing Hooi 吴承惠 as the representative of the alumni in the Board Meeting. Mr Wu also set up a Foundation and the Board Members were selected by the Foundation. Interviewee became a member of the Foundation and later became the College Board Member. During Mr Wu’s term, the college was renamed Nanyang Meishu Xue Yuan 南洋美术学院.
Dr Gwee Yee Hean took over as principal from Mr Wu for three years. Dr Soh Kay Cheng became the next principal and interviewee became the Board Secretary. Dr Soh started the children’s arts section and took over the children and youth group from Singapore Broadcasting Corporation. He renamed the college as Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA - 南洋艺术学院). The lease of the campuses ran out and the National Arts Council provided buildings in Middle Road and Short Street as NAFA campus. Interviewee mentioned that there were fewer Malaysian students at that time as Malaysia had set up its own arts institutions. There were more students studying applied arts than pure arts. Graduates from the applied arts faculties could find job easily.
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