LOT 47
ONG KIM SENG
B. Singapore, 1945
Singapore Chinatown off Terengganu Street, 1979
Signed and dated on lower right
Watercolour on paper
35.5 x 52 cm
Private Collection, Canada
RM 12,000 – RM 15,000
Ong Kim Seng’s style is described as being “naturalist cum impressionistic” and “a combination of post-impressionist colour and the outlook of the American realist masters”. He paints en plein air and has stated that in order for him to paint a place; he has to feel it first. “I believe that inspiration comes naturally when there’s a link between the artist and his subject.” He focuses on inanimate objects, architectural form, masonry, foliage and landscape and as seen in this piece he captures the scene of a street in Singapore, Chinatown brilliantly, and the results are better than real. From the complexity and the minute details of the buildings to the realistic play of light and shadow, his exemplary use of watercolour and the balance between subject and space truly make his work a gem. Ong Kim Seng was born in Singapore and has been a full- time artist since 1985. Among the awards that he has won from the American Watercolour Society are the Paul B. Remmy Memorial Award in 1983, the Lucy B. Moore Award in 1988 and the Clara Stroud Memorial Award 1989, just to name a few. The National Heritage Board of Singapore has over 95 pieces of Ong Kim Seng’s artworks.