LOT 22
TEW NAI TONG
B. Selangor, 1936 – 2013
Harvesting, 2001
Signed “Naitong” on lower left
Inscribed artist, title, dimension and year on the verso
Oil on canvas
61 x 46 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 6,000 – RM 10,000
Tew Nai Tong’s significant “squinty eyes” expressions on his subjects in all his artworks depict the contentment and happiness that come from having a good family relationship and peaceful and harmonious environment. With that in mind, this piece brings about a mood that is serene, joyous and all about contentment. A group of corn farmers are seen about their antics harvesting fresh corn, as illustrated by their bags of their reap and a pile of corn strewn on the grown. Tew Nai Tong’s ‘squinty eyes’ are evident here, especially on the lady on the foreground who seems to emanate contentment with her life.
Tew Nai Tong, most renowned for being a distinctive figurative artist, was born in his hometown in Klang in 1936. He attended the Peng Hwa Chinese School when he was seven years old. He was 18 when he chose to pursue the path of his dream of becoming an artist. He went to Singapore and attended the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) for two years and graduated in 1958 at the age of 22. During his early stage at NAFA while focusing on sketching ,watercolour and landscape painting, Nai Tong with the rest of his contemporaries, became part of the watercolour movement of Malaysia.