About the artwork
R1 13Oct Lim's paintings are a place where West meets East. A place where the frenetic Fauvist colors of Henri Matisse meets the wild, galloping ink horses of Xu Beihong and dissolve into a fluidic realm of the imagination.
About the artist
Lim Ah Cheng's oeuvre of paintings of wild horses, dancers and musicians draw much parallel to the works of Chinese ink masters like Xu Beihong. He employs a highly 'fluid' style that is reminiscent of Chinese ink painting, but uses it with western media such as oils and acrylics. This merger of East and West techniques, coupled with Fauvist and Futurist influences found within the use of vibrant colours and emphasis on capturing speed and movement, give his work a sense of universal appeal.
Loose and expressive brushwork is aptly used to capture the speed and gracefulness of the horse's movement. This is complemented with the colors that he employs, of deep blacks contrasted against hues of yellow and brown.
His "Metamorphosis" series carries this subject matter one step further, using horses as a platform to offering an introspective exploration of his personal childhood memories.