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Ong Boon Kong

Ong Boon Kong

Ong Boon Kong

The deceased painter Ong Boon Kong (1948-2021) was simple and low-key. He would carry a cloth bag with pen brushes and ink in it on his shoulders and walk in Bugis Street, Bras Basah Complex, “Little Thailand” (Golden Mile Complex), and the bustling streets of Chinatown every day, looking like a familiar neighbor uncle, but his sharp eyesight was spectacular and different from any other ordinary people beside him. He would have no scruples and concentrated on observing small animals such as sparrows and squirrels anytime and anywhere without caring about other things happening around them, people might be surprised and ask: Who is he?

When people praise an accomplished painter, they may say this: Look, he paints squirrels, he paints grapes, or he paints goldfish, and that one paints donkeys… but for Ong Boon Kong, the local people would most like to call him a Tiger painter.

When people praise an accomplished painter, they may say this: Look, he paints squirrels, he paints grapes, or he paints goldfish, and that one paints donkeys… but for Ong Boon Kong, the local people would most like to call him a Tiger painter. Indeed, he was well-known and praised for painting tigers. With a big brush in hand, he would draw freely on the rice paper, or with oil on canvas sometimes, with complete confidence. Between dry and wet strokes and shades, the King of Animals would appear instantly.
Singapore is known as the Lion City, but the Black Lion seems to exist only in the legend. Instead, in the real history recorded by images, tigers often appear. On September 8, 1831, the English newspaper Singapore Chronicle published what is believed to be the first local report of tiger infestation. Rumor has it that in the 1860s, in just one year, there were about 300 people killed by tigers, and the Lion City was almost a Tiger City then. The National Gallery Singapore had once exhibited a painting created in 1865, depicting a scene of George Coleman, the director of public works in colonial Singapore, accompanied by Indian convict laborers, who were attacked by a Malayan tiger during a jungle expedition in 1835. Among the local folk, ordinary people have the tradition of worshiping the Lord Tiger on the third day of the second lunar month to deceive the villains around them and avoid vicious comments from them.
It seems that Ong Boon Kong did not attract very much attention from the mainstream media during his lifetime, and he actually did not care about it. He loves to paint and focuses mainly on watercolors, oil paintings, and Chinese ink paintings the most. He was good at drawing various animals. He was also fond of the local street scenes. Often, he would paint the views of the stalls around the old Sungei Road, the Singapore River, Chinatown, and the Samsui women, his neighbours, or other ordinary people, with a sincere and deep love for life.

When people praise an accomplished painter, they may say this: Look, he paints squirrels, he paints grapes, or he paints goldfish, and that one paints donkeys… but for Ong Boon Kong, the local people would most like to call him a Tiger painter.

已故画家王文光（1948-2021）为人朴素、低调。他每天肩上背着装着笔刷和墨水的布袋，走在武吉士街、勿拉士峇沙、“小泰国”（金域大厦）和唐人街的繁华街道，像个熟悉的邻居。叔叔，但他的眼力却十分惊人，与他身边的任何一个普通人都不同。他会毫无顾忌，随时随地专心观察麻雀、松鼠等小动物，而不关心周围发生的其他事情，人们可能会惊讶并问：他是谁？ 当人们称赞一个有成就的画家时，他们可能会这样说：你看，他画松鼠，他画葡萄，或者他画金鱼，还有一个画驴……但对于王文光来说，当地人最喜欢称他为老虎画家。
确实，他因画虎而闻名并受到称赞。他手里拿着大毛笔，在宣纸上随心所欲地画画，有时也用油彩在画布上画画，信心百倍。在干、湿的笔触和色调之间，百兽之王会立即出现。 新加坡素有狮城之称，但黑狮似乎只存在于传说中。相反，在图像记录的真实历史中，老虎经常出现。 1831 年 9 月 8 日，英文报纸《新加坡纪事报》发表了据信是当地第一份关于老虎出没的报道。据传，1860年代，短短一年时间，就有约300人被老虎咬死，当时的狮城几乎成了虎城。新加坡国家美术馆曾展出一幅创作于1865年的画作，描绘了殖民时期新加坡公共工程总监乔治·科尔曼（George Coleman）与印度囚犯劳工在1835年一次丛林探险中遭到马来虎袭击的场景。当地民间，老百姓有二月初三拜虎爷的传统，以欺骗身边的小人，避免恶言恶语。 看来王文光生前并没有引起主流媒体太多的关注，事实上他也并不关心。他热爱绘画，最擅长水彩画、油画、水墨画。他擅长画各种动物。他还喜欢当地的街景。他经常画旧双溪路的摊位、新加坡河、唐人街、三水妇女、邻居或其他普通人的景色，带着对生活真挚而深沉的热爱。

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About us

Asia Art Collective is an art advisory and consultancy specialised in Singaporean and Asian modern and contemporary art. Professional art services include providing clients with art advice on artwork purchase and sale, artwork valuation and assessment, art acquisition and collection planning, art sale and brokerage, as well as art commissioning and artwork sourcing. Asia Art Collective seeks to promote a culture of art appreciation and art acquisition and collection for Singapore art, and modern and contemporary Asian art through its diverse and rotating art exhibitions and art appreciation programmes, courses and talks. Enquire with Asia Art Collective for advice and support on your art-collecting journey.

亚洲艺汇有限公司（Asia Art Collective Pte Ltd )是新加坡专业的艺术品咨询顾问公司，公司的服务是为艺术收藏提供指导，制定策划购买艺术品方向，帮助藏家评估、分析艺术品市场价位、未来的市场走势。在选择艺术品方面，即要帮助藏家找到自己酷爱心怡的作品，同时也把艺术品列为藏家资产扩充的规划中，并且负责跟踪艺术品的买与卖。同时也提供新加坡艺术品量身定制服务

CURATOR 策展人
Iola Liu
92398226