Good Luck

Born in 1931, Choo Keng Kwang is widely recognized for realistic renditions of landscape, animals and nature in the oil medium. Sympathetic to local working classes, Choo features them in many of his works. Graduating in 1953 from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), he worked as a teacher, eventually returning to NAFA to helm the Art Education Department in 1984. Choo has since held many solo exhibitions and has participated in group art exhibitions in Southeast Asia, Japan, Europe and USA. Since the 1950s, Choo has received many awards for his many contributions to art and education, among which is the Public Service Medal (PBM) in 1976.In the mid 1980s, Choo retired from his en-plein painting sessions to concentrate on intimate portraits of birds and fishes which he rears in his garden. These works are characteristically executed in the realist style which Choo favours, while displaying Choo’s highly honed observation skill, masterly brushwork and control of the oil medium. The work ‘Good Luck’ portrays Japanese carps (popularly known as koi) which symbolize prosperity and good luck.