LOT 62
TEW NAI TONG
B. Selangor, 1936 – 2013
Untitled, 1988
Untitled
Preparing Food, 2012
Watercolour on paper
Oil on canvas
37 x 56 cm, 71 x 52 cm, 46 x 61 cm
Signed and dated “Nai Tong ‘88” on lower right
Signed “Nai Tong “ on lower right
Signed “Nai Tong” on lower right
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 5,000 – 10,000
Tew Nai Tong was a celebrated Malaysian painter known for his nostalgic portrayals of everyday life in old Malaya. Influenced by both Nanyang traditions and his studies in Paris, he developed a distinctive figurative style characterised by simplified forms, rhythmic lines and luminous colour. His subjects often centred on village life, women at work, rural landscapes and coastal scenes, capturing the quiet rhythms and simple pleasures of a bygone era.
Watercolour Works – Beach Landscapes Tew Nai Tong’s beach landscapes reveal his sensitive handling of watercolour, translating the tranquillity of the Malaysian coastline through delicate washes, simplified forms and atmospheric light. His compositions evoke a gentle sense of place, where sea, sky and shoreline come together in a harmonious and nostalgic vision.
Oil on Canvas – Woman Preparing Food In his depiction of a woman preparing food, Nai Tong turns an ordinary domestic activity into a quietly intimate portrait of everyday life. His characteristic simplified forms and warm tonal palette lend the figure a timeless quality, celebrating the dignity, familiarity and rhythm of traditional village life.