About the artwork
Singaporean artist Lim Tze Peng was committed to the documentation of heritage and history, given that Singapore was undergoing rapid urbanisation in the '80s, and he relentlessly embarked upon painting expeditions to capture scenes of historic areas such as Chinatown and the Singapore River before they were lost forever. In this painting, bumboats that frequented the Singapore River are depicted using bold and defined lines. These boats ferried goods to and fro along the waters for import and export, contributing greatly to the development of trade in Singapore. The washes of blue and grey create a sense of melancholy and nostalgia, that reflects the subject of a rapidly disappearing era.
About the artist
Born in Singapore in 1921, Lim Tze Peng is one of Singapore’s most significant artists and a living legend. Renowned for his Chinese ink creations of post-independence Singapore, he also practices Chinese calligraphy. Alongside local and international exhibitions, his masterpieces are exhibited in prominent Singapore institutions and part of many prestigious collections. Lim has been bestowed several awards including the Special Prize at the Commonwealth Art Exhibition in England in 1977 and the prestigious Cultural Medallion in Singapore in 2003. In May 2012, he broke records with the sale of his works at a Christies auction in Hong Kong.