About the artwork
Lim Tze Peng mentioned he has a profound fascination for trees, more specifically cyprus and pine trees as they embody the virtues of a cultured and upright man–“Only when the cold season comes is the point brought home that the pine and the cypress are the last to lose their leaves”, a quote by Confucius. In his painting, he uses strong sturdy strokes to embody the strength and will of the cypress tree. According to Lim, an artist has to create order out of chaos. Lim likes to focus on the abstract forms of a tree as opposed to the macro view of a landscape. Using this perspective, order is given to the branches’ lawless bends and curves.
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.