Johor-born Teo Kim Liong studied both Western paintings at NAFA and obtained an Honours degree in Physics from the University of Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s. With a career in various managerial positions in marketing and engineering, Teo embarked on full-time painting at the age of 56. His artistic works combine both the European practice of outdoor painting with the Nanyang sojourner’s pursuit of inspiration. From Singapore and the region to China and Western countries, Teo’s landscape repertoire is a diary of his practice and travels.
A typical longhouse is captured on the left side of this painting. With foliage encroaching the sides of the canvas, Teo produces the effect that one emerges from a dense forest and witnesses this house illuminated under the tropical sunlight. Teo swabs paint onto his canvas to create stipples that bring the form to life. Nature here is celebrated with rich tones of greens and appears visually harmonious with the sandy browns of this quaint longhouse.
