Tong Kang

Title
Tong Kang
Creator
Year/Period
1978
Region
Singapore
Material
Ink and colour pigments on paper
Dimension
Image size: 67.5 x 67.5 cm,
Frame size: 100.2 x 100.2 cm
Accession No.
2003-03130
Credit Line
Mr & Mrs Koh Seow Chuan Collection
NLB Type
Painting

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.Boats, one of Lim’s favourite subjects, appear often in his paintings. In this painting of a ‘tong kang’ which is a lighter used to ferry goods, Lim contrasts the meticulous lines of the docked boat against the subtle ink washes.