LOT 10
Tew Nai Tong
B. Selangor, 1936-2013
Untitled, 1991
Signed and dated “NAI TONG. 91” on lower left
Pencil and crayon on cardboard
21 x 25.5 cm
Untitled, Circa 1986-1990
Signed “NAI TONG” on lower left
Watercolour on paper
21 x 22 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 1,000 – RM 1,800
The artist has an exemplary way of perceiving the simple life, enriching the visualisation of simple things through his profound skills. The simplicity and subsequent sophistication that erupts for his works are a testament to Tew Nai Tong’s affection for his skill and subject matter.
This piece captures the freedom and beauty of the human body, and Tew Nai Tong’s skills bring so much life to such a modest sketch.
He attended Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux-Arts de Paris for 2 years, where he obtained the skills to paint using oil colour, enabling him to establish a solid foundation for his future advancement.
The combination stems from his time in Singapore and Paris, with his art being described as representing the tail-end of the old Nanyang (the Southern Seas of China) style as well as embodying the spirit of the new Nanyang style, a combination of stylised Balinese-Sarawakian figure types, the School of Paris chic and Chinese painting traditions.
The amount of research that he always puts in for his art is exemplary. He visited Bali from 1996 to 2006, while also making a return to Paris from 1999 to 2002 in order to conduct research for his artworks as well as to look for inspiration, visits that have also played a part in molding his unique style.