Yeo Jian Long was born in 1983. He graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art. He attained his Diploma in Fine Art (Western Painting) from the same institution a year earlier, in 2012. Before enrolling at the Academy, Yeo studied at Nanyang Polytechnic, where he obtained a Diploma in Digital Media Design. Yeo’s familiarity with digital and traditional art forms makes his style versatile and distinct.

His gravitation to the works of the Old Masters significantly influences his practice. “Men come and go, but Earth abides” is modelled after apocalyptic art often seen in the Western canon. A scene of great calamity unfolds in the work, where nature’s destructive forces and humanity’s helplessness are wrapped in a maelstrom of terror, illustrating a prophecy of devastation and humanity’s last moments. Overturned excavators and trucks lie obscured in the magnificent woodlands, and objects belonging to the present appear in what seems like an old drawing.

The physical work spans more than two meters wide. With breathtaking detail, the artwork is rendered with a light touch and great sensitivity. Here, the attention to surface detail is exceptional. Single and cross-hatch lines are meticulously rendered with a fine-tipped ballpoint pen, fleshing out the sensuous surfaces of the uprooted trees and crashing waves. Like the Old Masters before, the piece reflects the draughtsman's understanding and appropriate use of drawing techniques. The subtleties in tonal variations, depth and volume, can only be an endeavour that is as demanding and exacting as appears.