Rendered in legendary artist Tan Choon Ghee's distinctive ink brushwork, the elegant composition captures the expansive breadth of the fishing port, where traditional boats lie moored along the harbour. It is presented in a long vertical format, inspired by the Chinese ink painting tradition. The captivating scene is filled with interesting details, texture and depth, evoking a sense of discovery and adventure.
Tan Choon Ghee completed his secondary education from Chung Ling high school in 1948 and graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore in 1951. He then attended the Slade School of Fine Art in London from 1957 to 1959. He had received a German government painting scholarship and an Australian government television set design scholarship. He had worked for TV Singapore and TV Broadcast Ltd in Hong Kong prior to becoming a full time artist. He had held numerous solo shows with his first in 1956 at the Hooi Ann Association, Penang followed by in 1958, 1962 and 1963 organised by the British Council, Penang; National Library in Singapore (1962 and 1970); Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur (1983 and 1993) among others. Tan had also been honoured with two retrospective exhibitions in 1996 and 2000; a tribute show in Kuala Lumpur (2009) and a posthumous solo exhibition titled A Lifetime Of Drawings showcasing his sketchbooks and paper works at the Penang State Art Gallery (2014).