LOT 81
TEW NAI TONG
B. Selangor, 1936-2013
B. Selangor, 1936-2013
Signed “NAI TONG” on upper left
Artist, title, date and dimensions inscribed on the reverse
Oil on canvas
31 x 41 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Selangor
AVAILABLE
RM 3,500 – RM 6,000
A sketch of the nude human body is a measurement of how familiar an artist is with his own techniques, apart from being an artistic exploration by itself. During the Renaissance times when humanism flourished, artists drew many a nude sketch or painting, as they were more fascinated with humanity more than divinity. Captured here is a woman caught in a serene moment, with Tew Nai Tong’s signature style of depicting his subjects with squinty eyes. The woman poses, confident and relaxed.
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.