Nai Swee Leng’s lively painting style is a result of his training under different mentors, namely Fan Chang Tien, See Hiang To, Chen Chong Swee and Chao Shao-an, who were masters from different ink schools. Majoring in the subjects of flower-and-bird painting, Nai has gradually achieved artistic maturity from the 1990s onwards. His seasoned ink-and-brush work reveals innovative transformation of tradition. The work “Gathering for Winter” demonstrates the artist’s mastery of ink-and-brush technique which is deployed effortlessly and with flexibility. The moist and saturated ink brush used in rendering the squirrels creates a deliberate contrast with the crisp and dry brushstrokes tracing the images of the winter pine. The contrast created by the artist through the nuances of ink tones and brush qualities brings the work liveliness and vitality, key characteristics of brush-and-ink art.
