After the Second World War, Goh Beng Kwan moved to Singapore and studied at The Chinese High School, where he trained under artists Chen Wen Hsi and Cheong Soo Pieng. Goh’s mentors, the pioneers of Nanyang art, incorporated Chinese and Western styles and techniques into localised depictions of Southeast Asia of the twentieth century, which largely influenced Goh’s artistic practice.
Fishing Village II represents one of Goh’s early works as an artist. The work was completed after his studies at The Chinese High School and before he left to pursue art abroad. During this time, fishing villages were familiar sights in Singapore. Goh, who would have studied these locations closely, employed oil paint to depict abstract forms, a style that would later define his artistic career.
