Lim Cheng Hoe

Acquired directly from the artist

Singapore, National Museum Art Gallery, Lim Cheng Hoe Retrospective 1986, Singapore, 5 March - 30 March 1986, T.K. Sabapathy

T.K. Sabapathy, Lim Cheng Hoe Retrospective 1986, Ministry of Community Development and National Museum, Singapore, 1986, P.51, colorplate 164

The work is in good condition overall, as is the paper, which is free from creases, holes and tears. Light wear and handling is evident around the edges of the painting, along with faint foxing sprinkled predominantly on the top margin and visible only upon close observation. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no sign of restoration. Framed, under Plexiglas.
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Lim Cheng Hoe was originally from the Amoy province in Southeastern China. The artist relocated to Singapore as a young child, and remained there till his death. A classically trained artist, much of Hoe's oeuvre was dedicated to still life portraits that were painted with watercolors, for the medium enhanced the natural delicacy of the subjects. The present work Still Life with Rambutan is reflective of the artist's favored colors, compositions, and themes.

The artist’s interest in fine arts stems from Hoe's time as a secondary student, where his paintings were recognized for their skill and attention to detail. He was awarded the “Lim Boon Keng” gold medal for his artworks, and this acclaim inspired the artist to continue in this vein, and build a career as an artist. Under the guidance of Richard Walker, the art inspector of Hoe's school, the artist was able to finesse his skills with the watercolor medium, as well as explore the aesthetics and styles that would eventually be found in his more mature pieces. The artist's dedication to his paintings received favorable attention, and a few years later he was awarded the school's first prize for “Best Work in Painting and Design”. Other accolades during this period included awards for the Watercolor Section in the Annual Inter-School art exhibition.

Shortly after leaving school, Hoe enrolled as a clerk at the Royal Naval Wireless Station in Kranji, before he joined the Public Utilities Board where he was an active member for most of his life. However the artist continued to focus his time on watercolors, with Sundays specially dedicated to the pursuit of his plein-air craft. The quiet appeal of Hoe's paintings, such as the select composition and naturalistic subject matter, have had a great influence upon the emergence of Singapore's watercolor art movement.

From the fifties onwards, Hoe’s creative vision, and respect for his chosen medium, took on a new approach that ultimately redefined the artist’s relationship with watercolor expression. No longer choosing to view his subjects objectively, the artist decided to fully immerse himself in each scene, acting both as the observer and the critic of his natural environment. The painting Still Life with Rambutan perfectly exemplifies the artist's vision and respect for the environment, for the composition and complimenting hues enhance the overall ambience of the scene. Thus the painting is a revealing look of Hoe's classic subjects and motifs, and allows the audience a quiet look  into the artist's past.