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.Rapid urbanization in the 1980s spurred Lim to paint the street scenes of Singapore before they disappeared forever. This painting of the ubiquitous corner coffee shop with tables and seats spilling onto the road or side alley, tells of a bygone era when life moved at a more relaxed pace.
