LOT 71
TEW NAI TONG
B. Selangor, 1936-2013
Untitled, 1994-1998
Signed “NAI TONG” on lower left
Watercolour on paper
15 x 16.5 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Selangor
AVAILABLE
RM 1,500 – RM 2,800
Tew Nai Tong, most renowned for being a distinctive figurative artist, was born in his hometown in Klang in 1936. He attended the Peng Hwa Chinese School when he was seven years old. He was 18 when he chose to pursue the path of his dream of becoming an artist. He went to Singapore and attended the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) for two years and graduated in 1958 at the age of 22. During his early stage at NAFA while focusing on sketching ,watercolour and landscape painting, Nai Tong with the rest of his contemporaries, became part of the watercolour movement of Malaysia.
The artist has an exemplary way of perceiving the simple life, enriching the visualisation of simple things through his profound skills. The simplicity and subsequent sophistication that erupts for his works are a testament to Tew Nai Tong’s affection for his skill and subject matter.
This piece captures the the everyday life of the people in the East Cost. Illustrating a group of village men and women going about their daily lives. Tew Nai Tong brings out the details of the beach and the sand with his prowess in watercolour.