Born in 1923, Lim Tze Peng is mainly a self-taught artist. Ink paintings and calligraphic works are predominantly featured in his work, though there is a small collection of early oils, watercolours and drawings. He created a unique style of ink painting using rich brush and tonal details, and this approach is often regarded as a manifestation of the Nanyang Style in the ink medium. He was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 2003.Having grown up in a ‘kampong’ (Malay for village), the idyllic life of rural communities is a favourite and recurring theme for Lim. Perhaps in a bid to recapture the early memories, he has produced countless paintings of the life and activities of villagers which today serve as visual reminders of a bygone era.
