LOT 62
LONG THIEN SHIH
B. Selangor, 1946
Kampung Hailam, Klang Fishing Village, 1963
Signed and dated “Thien Shih 1963” and stamped with artist seal on lower right
Watercolour on paper
40 x 63 cm
Private Collection, USA
RM 5,500 – 9,000
This painting, entitled Kampung Hailam, 1963 is especially endearing as Long Thien Shih’s have relatives who live in Kampung Hailam in Port Klang and Pulau Ketam. The artist used to spend his school holidays there with them during his childhood. “When I began to learn drawing, l noticed many artists have been painting fishing villages using the oil and watercolour medium,” said Long. This inspired him to incorporate similar subjects as part of his works, and more so, because these subjects and scenes are endearing, as well as familiar to the artist. “During my formative years as an artist, from 1960 to 1964, l
painted many fishing villages in all sorts of styles, and initially, l took cues from veteran artists like Cheong Soo Peng or Lim Cheng Hoe or Yong Mụn San, but later l develop my own style by using palette knives to render lines in watercolour, which was never done by any one before me. I know the essential features of the fishing village and boats, which l would then employ the palette knife with watercolour easily to render the subjects in my own way,” said Long about his style of painting.