Frame size: 71 x 114 cm
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.Trees, a recurring theme in Lim’s art, often appear as magnificent, protective havens. Yet, in this semi-abstract ink painting of a forest, the snarled branches and dark foliage create an atmosphere that is at once forbidding and uninviting, even as a path passes through it.
