LOT 12
RAPHAEL SCOTT AHBENG
B. Sarawak, 1939 – 2019
Virgin Hill, 2009
Signed, dated, and titled “RSA 09 Virgin Hill” on lower right
Oil on board
30 x 30 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 1,200 – 1,800
Always the storyteller of nature and landscapes, Raphael Scott Ahbeng had a great affinity for these subjects and translated this on canvas. In classic AhBeng style, he expressed his love for solitary environments using a spectacle of colours and strokes, resulting in a stunning painting. In this piece, AhBeng depicted his true spirit and adoration for nature — blue skies make the background while trees are illustrated at the apex of a hill, untouched and pristine. The artist injects bits and pieces of his personality with bright streaks and splashes of alluring tones. He was born in Bau in 1939 and was one of Malaysia’s most renowned abstract artists. The recently departed studied at the Bath Academy of Art in the UK and was known for his large canvases of overlapping light-coloured mountains which exudes an airy feel. Raphael was once a teacher, cartoonist and a radio producer before becoming a full-time painter.