Born in 1923, Lim Tze Peng is largely a self-taught artist. In his oeuvre, ink paintings and calligraphic works feature prominently, although there is a small number of 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. Lim, a school principal until his retirement in the early 1980s, was awarded the Cultural Medallion by the Singapore government in 2003.Lim’s fascination with trees has resulted in numerous paintings of them. However around the turn of the century, his trees began to grow increasingly massive and entangled, often dominating the compositions. In ‘Kampong Scene’ the encroaching forest of tight branches, trunks and roots threatens to overwhelm the village huts.
