LOT 68
YONG MUN SEN
B. Sarawak, 1896 – 1962
Penang Fishing Village, 1954
Watercolour on paper
27 x 37 cm
Private Collection, Canada
Signed “Mun Sen” on lower right
RM 5,000 – 7,000
Yong’s artistic forte and heart were landscapes in watercolour. With Western impressionism, complemented by Chinese calligraphy aesthetics, Yong garnered aficionados from the US, Australia and the UK. When Yong came across a scene that spoke to his soul, he would swiftly set up his easel and camp stool, equipped with a brush in hand to relay it on the canvas. Yong’s identification of his subjects’ struggles, including fishermen in seaside villages, farmers in paddy fields and labourers in plantations took centre stage. His conveyance grants viewers with an immaculate escape, a breath of fresh air or to remind people to break away from the bustling life. It is also evident in his landscape paintings that Yong did not depict the details that made up a landscape, rather, through watercolour, he illustrated fluidity and a carefree rhythm. The ‘Malay Fishing Village, Penang, 1954’ is an illustration of just that, taking viewers back to a time when the waters were pristine, beach clean and the villagers about their routine– evoking a feeling of nostalgia.