LOT 5
TEW NAI TONG
(B. Selangor, 1936-2013)
Ubud Fruits Corner, 2006
Signed “NAI TONG” on lower left
Oil on canvas
90 x 90 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
Illustrated on page 88 of “NAITONG 2007”
coffee table book
Published in 2007 by Tew Nai Tong to coincide with his “Odyssey” Art Solo Exhibition held at National Art Gallery
SOLD – RM 23,600
Tew Nai Tong has a proclivity for the rural settings; it is his brand and forte. Featured here is a group of women at a marketplace, at a fruits corner with durians and bananas. This piece is vibrant, owing much of the effervescence to the amount of green and cool colours used. Perhaps it is only fitting, as the countryside is teeming with lush greenery and undisturbed nature. It is a simple setting, highlighting a simple life of agricultural trade. The perception of uncomplicated lives is enriched through his thoughtful and vivacious rendition. It does have a rough effect and texture to it, bringing to mind the coarse, raw feel of the rural areas. Through this piece, the artist’s affection for the lifestyle here is flagrant, and he effectively captures the blissfulness of practicality and the feeling of being close to nature and the community around you.
Tew Nai Tong studied art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore (NAFA) and graduated in 1958 before furthering his studies at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris. Among the awards he received were the Second Prize in the Chartered Bank Mural Design Competition, the Shell Watercolour Award, Best Award from Esso, the Dunlop Watercolour Award and the Grand Prize Asia Art Award (Malaysia) in Seoul. He was also the co-founder of the Malaysian Watercolour Society and the Contemporary Malaysian Watercolourist Association.