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.Best known for his street scenes of old Singapore, Lim was driven by nostalgia and his desire to paint his favourite haunts and streets before they were changed forever by urbanization. In depicting a food stall in a back alley, Lim captures not only the physical details but also the way of life.
