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 desire to capture and recreate the memories he had of his favourite haunts around Singapore, spurred him to paint his series of street scenes, for which he became known. This work was probably painted on the spot by Lim during one of his Sunday painting sessions.
