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 wild cursive script, one of the most expressive in Chinese calligraphy as it allows an artist creative freedom, was adopted by Lim between 2000 and 2002. With renewed energy and vigour, he produced large format works quite different from his earlier ones which are more refined and controlled. The phrase written here means ‘Words are the paintings of one’s heart’ (字乃心画).
