LOT 44
SIEW HOCK MENG
B. Johor, 1942
Laziness, 1986
Oil on canvas
48 x 63 cm
Private Collection, Singapore
Signed and dated “1986, Meng” on center left. Sold at Sotheby’s Singapore on April 7th, 2002. Lot 80. Exhibited & Published in the The Scott SEA Art Collection Highlights Exhibition, 27 May to 3 June 2011, The Tanglin Club, Singapore. The Scott Collection, Singapore. Illustrated on page 34 of The Art of Siew Hock Meng VI book published in 2016.
RM 38,000 – 75,000
Born in Johor in 1942, Siew Hock Meng trained at the prestigious Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in Singapore during the early 1960s, a background that deeply grounded him in both classical European techniques and a distinct Southeast Asian modern sensibility. An establishedfigure in regional realism, he became widely recognized for his sensitive draftsmanship and his ability to capture the quiet, unvarnished nuances of human nature. This observant approach to figurative storytelling is clearly reflected in his 1986 painting, Laziness, created during a highly productive period of his career.
Shunning rigid or idealized portraiture, Siew employs a warm, textured palette and a careful play of light and shadow to depict a candid momentof complete relaxation. The composition centers on the heavy, unposed slouch of the subject, capturing the exact weight of rest and unfiltered downtime. Rather than framing inactivity as a flaw, the work presents this state of ease as a quiet, necessary sanctuary from daily demands. Bybalancing his rigorous Nanyang trained technical precision with genuine empathy, Laziness turns a mundane, everyday moment into an intimate study of human comfort and introspection.