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.The Singapore River, a subject popular with many Singapore artists, is also one of Lim’s favourite. His use of ink lines to delineate form and space reflects his reputation and background as a calligrapher. ‘Untitled (Singapore River Boats)’ depicts a scene that has since disappeared when the Port of Singapore Authority moved the bumboats to a new location in the 1980s; this painting thus preserves a slice of the river’s history for the future generations.
