Elegant trees sway gently in this peaceful village scene. On offer is a rare and picturesque work dated 1946 by the local pioneer artist Yong Mun Sen, created a year after the hardship of the Japanese occupation of Malaya from 1941 – 1945. The traditional abodes, surrounded with clear open skies, billowing clouds, and gentle streams evoke a sense of freedom, enlivened with the artist's eloquent brushwork. The legendary Yong Mun Sen is one of the earliest watercolorists, but one with profound influence and high visibility. He was referred to as the Father of Malaysian Painting by dealer-gallerist-artist-writer-publisher Dato' Dr. Tan Chee Khuan in several of his books on pioneer artists. Born Yong Yen Lang, Mun Sen (the name he adopted in 1922) returned to China briefly (1914) before picking up art on his return to his hometown Sarawak. He had stints in Singapore before settling in Penang (1922), where he set up a photography studio cum gallery. He co-founded the Penang Chinese Art Club and the Singapore Society of Chinese Artists. He was accorded posthumous memorials by Singapore (1966), the National Art Gallery (Kuala Lumpur) and the Penang State Art Gallery (PSAG) in 1972, and the PSAG followed it up with a retrospective in 1999. The exhibition Yong Mun Sen In Nanyang was held at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Galleries, NAFA Campus 1, Singapore, from February to May 2023.