LOT 35
CHOO KENG KWANG
B. Singapore, 1931
Angkor Wat, 1964
Oil on canvas
74 x 100 cm
Signed and dated “KKwang ‘64” on lower left. Artist label on verso
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 14,000 – 24,000
Choo Keng Kwang, a first generation Singaporean artist, was well known for his oil paintings of landscape, animals and nature. A former school principal of Sin Hua School, Choo later headed the Art Education Department of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) until his retirement. Public spirited and a generous philanthropist, he received numerous awards for his contributions to education and art. Choo’s Angkor series features a range of his exceptional artworks which many collectors deem to be his best period, which was during the 1960’s. This artwork, in particular, brought forth pure abstractions of the faces of the Angkor monoliths, depicting nostalgic elements of his inaugural trip to Angkor Wat in 1964. Rendered in a subdued, earthy palette, the monumental temple complex emerges through layered, atmospheric brushwork, lending the scene a sense of age, quiet grandeur, and timelessness.