It’s a most typical idyllic kampong attap hut by the sea scene popularly pursued by Yong Mun Sen in his early watercolours. A solitary stilt hut with the ubiquitous coconut tree or two, and the mountain in the distance with the wide expanse of sky. This scene particularly appealed to Caucasian tourists seeking souvenirs of the tropical clime in the then frontier land of halcyon Malaya. The legendary Yong Mun Sen is one of the earliest watercolorists, but one with profound influence and high visibility. He was referred to as the Father of Malaysian Painting by dealer-gallerist-artist-writer-publisher Dato’ Dr. Tan Chee Khuan in several of his books on pioneer artists. Born Yong Yen Lang, Mun Sen (the name he adopted in 1922) returned to China briefly (1914) before picking up art on his return to his hometown Sarawak. He had stints in Singapore before settling in Penang (1922), where he set up a photography studio cum gallery. He co-founded the Penang Chinese Art Club and the Singapore Society of Chinese Artists. He was accorded posthumous memorials by Singapore (1966), the National Art Gallery (Kuala Lumpur) and the Penang State Art Gallery in 1972, and the PSAG followed it up with a retrospective in 1999.