LOT 85
Raphael Scott Ahbeng
B. Sarawak, 1939
Gold Hue, 2015
Signed, titled and dated
“RSA ‘15 GOLD HUE” on lower right
Acrylic on canvas
100 x 138 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 13,000 – RM 18,000
“Painting is a way of expressing my feelings. I like to paint good things that give viewers a good feeling, and make them think and feel rejuvenated. I paint subjects that are close to my heart — nature and landscapes,” said Raphael Scott AhBeng.
Indeed, his paintings are a unique blend of colours and shapes that are his reinvention and reinterpretation of Nature, as they are often surrounded by solid, flamboyant and liberal amounts of colours. His abstract perspective of nature is not only energetic, but unusual and odd to those who are used to naturalistic ways of painting them. The canvas is decorated through heavy, forceful movements of the brush, creating an impactful piece that cannot be overlooked. It is loud; it is vigorous and filled with artistic value.
Raphael Scott AhBeng, a Bidayuh, hails from Sarawak and is one of the most prominent Borneo artists. He attended Bath Academy of Art in Britain, where he studied Art and Photography. He won the First Prize for the Sarawak Shell Open art competition in 1959, 1982 and 1983 Third Prize in the Natural Malaysia art competition in Kuala Lumpur in 1991.