Selangor painter Yeo Eng Hin pursued his interest in art by training under renowned Malaysian artist Chia Yu Chian before enrolling at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in Singapore. In the 1980s, Yeo furthered his education in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. A trip to the scenic hills of Cameron Highlands in Malaysia with his peers in 1976 led Yeo to develop his lifelong fondness for illustrating tranquil lands and peaks. In Paris, Yeo focused on sketching and oil painting, citing eminent artists like Bolognese painter Leonardo Cremonini and Chinese-French artist Zao Wou Ki as mentors. Yeo is also an art educator and an active member of the Malaysian art community. Some of Yeo’s other accolades and appointments include being Principal of Masean Art Academy in Kajang, Principal of the Art Specialist Centre in Klang, President of NAFA Malaysian Alumni Association and cultural education committee member of The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. 

Concord Square in Winter Night is a painting of Yeo’s impression of Place de la Concorde in Paris. The public square, located in the city’s eighth arrondissement, is the largest in the French capital. Given the geographic centrality of the court, one can imagine Yeo must have frequented the area during his stay in Paris. The square is a place of historical significance where many notable public executions, including King Louis XVI, were conducted during the French Revolution. The obelisk on the right occupies a central position in the public square. Composed of yellow granite with hieroglyph engravings, the 23-metre column that once marked the entrance to Luxor Temple in Egypt was a diplomatic gift to France from Egypt in 1829.