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.A lover of boats, Lim painted countless works of them in different settings: on the river, in the dock, undergoing repair or simply clustered together. In this painting, Lim demonstrates his keen observation through the fine brushwork describing the docked boat. His dexterity in the medium is seen in the light ink washes and the subtle tonal changes.
