Born in 1931 in China, Chua Mia Tee migrated to Singapore in 1937. A graduate from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1957, Chua is a highly regarded master of portrait painting. Chua has painted portraitures of prominent public figures, including presidents and prime ministers of Singapore. Besides portraitures, Chua also paints nationalistic and local scenes of Singapore, which serve as historical documentations of the nation’s changing landscape.Chua has captured many lost scenes of Singapore. As a Realist painter, Chua also painted people at work. ‘Malay Fisherman at Changi Beach’ focuses on the fisherman, in the center of the work, mending his net. With his head down and in shadow, focus falls on the fisherman’s hands, drawing the viewer into the task. In the background are several men also hard at work mending nets.
