Lim Kay Hiong is a Singapore-based artist known for his Chinese ink paintings. At the tender age of six, Lim moved to Singapore from Shantou and was later trained locally by pioneer artists Fan Chang Tien and Shi Xiangtuo. In 1966, he graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and was later a co-founder of the Molan Art Association. In 2005, he received a merit award for Beijing's 1st International Chinese Poetry, Calligraphy, Painting & Seal-carving Grand Exhibition. To date, Lim has held over five solo exhibitions and has his works collected by local and foreign institutions, as well as private collectors around the world.
This painting features Lim’s intimate study of ducks in a pond. The subjects enter the composition from the diagonal-right side of the paper, appearing to swim towards the viewer’s sight almost organic manner. Using delicate and intentional strokes, Lim draws a leaf motif that encroaches the side of the painting, creating a sense of depth to the overall piece. Such aesthetic techniques reflect the artist’s mastery of the medium and how the NAFA foundational curriculum has influenced his artistic practices.
