Born in Fujian Province, Liu Kang (1911-2004) received his formal training in Shanghai Academy of Fine Art, where he was exposed to Chinese paintings. In 1928, he went to Paris where he was influenced by art movements such as Fauvism and Post-Impressionism. Not only was he one of Singapore’s pioneer artists, he was also a leading figure in the Society of Chinese Artists and the Singapore Art Society. In 1970, he was awarded the Public Service Star for his contributions in the field of art.In the late 1940s and 1950s, Liu travelled extensively throughout the Malayan peninsula to paint the people and landscape. The familiar format of using trees in the foreground as a framing devise by Liu is already adopted in this early painting of a mosque.
