LOT 56
TAN CHOON GHEE
(B. Penang, 1930-2010)
Perpustakaan Bergerak, 1984
Signed and dated “CHOON GHEE 1984” on lower right
Watercolour on paper
32.5 x 37 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
SOLD – RM 5,600
“I like my paintings to have people in them as people are the life of a place.”
Illustrated beautifully here is the hustle and bustle of an area with a mobile library, this piece is inundated with people, from youngsters to schoolchildren and adults. This piece is truly a gem and a reminder of the Malaysian culture, as the gentle and lovely colours as well as Tan Choon Ghee’s eye for beauty and detail were brought out stupendously. Habitually infusing the British watercolour approach with the Chinese classical paintings’ calligraphic brushstrokes, Tan Choon Ghee’s have spawned many imitators – which usually is a compliment to the mastery of the artist. He was also described as an exceptional painter of lines and he could finish a drawing by using just one continuous line.
Tan Choon Ghee was considered one of the most established Malaysian artists. He obtained his training in art from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore in 1951, before continuing to his studies at the Slade School of Art in the United Kingdom in 1958, where he was awarded scholarships from the West Germany Government and Australian Broadcasting Commission.