Born in Singapore, Arthur Yap (1943-2006) painted more frequently only after he graduated from the University of Singapore in 1965. A self-taught artist, he learnt through art magazines, exhibitions and trips to Europe in the 1970s. At the same time, he participated actively in the local art scene, holding six solo exhibitions and exhibiting in numerous group shows from 1968. In 1972, he was one of the Singapore representatives to the Adelaide Festival of Arts. Recognized as one of the country’s foremost poets with three published collections of poems, Yap was awarded the Cultural Medallion for literature by the Singapore government in 1983.Like many of Singapore’s Second Generation artists such as Thomas Yeo, Anthony Poon and Goh Beng Kwan, Yap’s art is grounded in the experimentation and development of the abstract art movement. Lines, forms and colours were his predominant concerns. ‘Window View’, as its title suggests, offers a view of the outside but requires the viewer to explore the difference between one seen through coloured panes and one without panes.
