Lot 19
RAPHAEL SCOTT AHBENG
B. Sarawak, 1939 – 2019
New Garden, 2008
Signed, dated and titled “RSA 08, new garden” on lower right
Acrylic on canvas
88 x 58 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 6,000 – RM 10,000
The late Raphael Scott Ahbeng was known for his strong, unique and individualistic personality. He was mostly identified through his lively display of rainforests in West Malaysia and his quirky outlook on nature, making him evidently distinct from the others. Hailing from Sarawak, Ahbeng was one of the most prominent Borneo artists. He studied Art and Photography from 1964 to 1967 when he attended Bath Academy of Art in the United Kingdom. He then returned to the UK in 1973, under the British Council Grant to study English and Drama at the British Drama League in London.
New Garden is an abstract perspective of nature, decorated through soft and large movements of the brush, followed by trickling of bright red paint at the bottom. The piece is impactful, stirring emotions throughout anyone who studies it – loud, big yet calming at the same time. The creative and artistic canv s painted with acrylic displays Ahbeng’s visual rendition of nature that never fails to attract.