LING, KAM CHEONG (1911-1991)

“Junk Boats Off Macau” (c.1955)
Watercolour
40 x 50cm
Signed lower right
*private collection, Sydney
 
Kam was a prominent Chinese Mid Century Painter. He arrived from Hong Kong to Macau during 1954, having a significant influence amongst the artistic circles of Macau, both through Macau's Yu Un Association of Chinese Painters and Calligraphists, of which he was a founding member, and in the creation of Macau's Fine Arts Academy, where he taught watercolor painting from the 50's until the 70's. He was one of the first artists to take on western style painting in Macau. For over 30 years (1950 to 1980) he painted the city and its people. His work includes watercolour, charcoaled and pencilled drawings used to sketch his paintings before he painted them on canvas. But what makes Kam's work an important legacy is the fact that it shows a strong western influence. This influence comes from the days when he was a student of master Choi Veng Cheng, who is considered to be the founder of Chinese watercolor painting. In Kam's work, influences of George Chinnery and George Smirnoff can also be recognised, as these two western artists painted Macau as well. This impressive watercolour is extremely rare, showing traditional Chinese Junks off the coast of Macau.