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.When Lim was still working, he used to spend his Sundays painting his favourite spots in Singapore, such as the Chinatown area and the Singapore River. More than producing accurate representations, Lim sought to capture the life and atmosphere of a place. Unlike in traditional Chinese ink painting where the background is often left unpainted, Lim applies translucent washes to create a glowing sky behind the row of shophouses.
