Born in 1943, Hua Chai Yong’s formative art years were spent at NAFA from 1963 – 1964. He participated in several group shows in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and held two solo exhibitions in 1979 and 1981. The artist received the Special Award at the National Day Art Exhibition in 1979 presented by the Ministry of Culture and the Highly Commended Award in 1983, 1986 and 1992 at the UOB Painting of the Year Competition.Among Singapore watercolorists, Hua is known for a distinctive style relying on flat-brush technique. The works “Portrait 1” & “Portrait 2” both were created in 1964 and may be the only surviving works that testify his early practice on portraiture during his formative years. The sketchy and lively strokes of the flat brush vividly caught the emotional moment of the subject.
