Lot 011
TAN CHOON GHEE
b. Penang, 1930-2010
KEK LOK SI, 1976
Signed and dated ‘TAN CHOON GHEE 1976’ (lower left)
Oil on canvas
30cm x 45cm
PROVENANCE
Collection of The Art Gallery, Penang.
LITERATURE
Tan Choon Ghee Retrospective 1957-2000,
Penang State Art Gallery, 2000, illustrated on page 29.
ESTIMATE RM 8,000 - 12,000
PRICE REALISED RM 9,900 |
A scene of pilgrimage is depicted in this oil on canvas, where a number of devout pilgrims are shown ascending to the Kek Lok Si Temple, also known as the Temple of Supreme Bliss, as an act of penance. The white spaces in the painted liken the journey to an ascent to the cloudy Heavens. This particular temple with the upturned roof finials has undergone great structural changes since its depiction in 1976 by artist Tan Choon Ghee, so an old world charm can be sensed within this painting.
Born in Penang in 1930, Tan Choon Ghee is one of the best known watercolour artists in Malaysia. He received his art education at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore in 1951 and Slade School of Art, London in 1959. He won a German Government scholarship and Australian Government TV set design scholarship and was honoured with a retrospective exhibition from Penang State Art Gallery in 2000. Choon Ghee is known for his beautiful watercolour renditions of common people in Penang and his capturing of Penang streetscape. A Tribute Exhibition was also held in remembering Tan Choon Ghee at Art Salon @ Seni, Kuala Lumpur in 2009.
REFERENCE
The Art of Tan Choon Ghee, Georgetown Printers, Penang, 1997.
Tan Choon Ghee Retrospective 1957-1992, The Art Gallery, Penang.
A Tribute to Tan Choon Ghee, Art Salon@SENI, Kuala Lumpur, 2009.
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