China-born Chua Ek Kay (1947-2008) was one of Singapore’s foremost contemporary Chinese ink painters. Known for his paintings of Singapore street scenes, lotuses and abstract compositions, he studied Chinese ink painting under Fan Chang Tien (1907-1987) but was also influenced by Australian aboriginal art and Western artists. In 1991 and 1998, Chua won the Grand Prize in the 10th UOB Painting of the Year Competition and the Philip Morris ASEAN Arts Award (Juror's Choice) in Singapore respectively. In 1999, he was honoured with the Cultural Medallion Award by the Singapore government.The famed Jiangnan landscapes which resonate to an entirely different ambience of gracefulness and tranquillity, are the destinations of frequent pilgrimages made by scholars, artists and poets, past and present. In this painting, the employment of energetic brushwork and use of ink manifest Chua’s dual dilemma to abide closely to the traditions of Chinese ink painting whilst searching for ways to break through its conventions.
