Juping was one of the pioneer artists of Malaysia, revered for his great versatility, style and technical skills. Self Portrait On Beach offers the viewer a glimpse into his daily life. His focused gaze on the sketch placed on his lap reveals a determined personality who cherished the present moment. Always carrying a sketchbook, he was known to take walks along the beach, and this self-portrait encapsulates his devotion to art practice. With the impression of light and shadows on the coastal sands, the colours exude peace and contentment - a celebration of his work and life. Kuo Juping (the name was taken after a water plant) was in the pioneering batch of students at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore but had to return a year before graduating to tend to his father's import-export business, Sing Guan Thye & Co., in Victoria Street. He was a founding member of Thursday Art Group and the Penang Chinese Art Club in 1936. He was one of the first artists to paint the ordinary people and places such as rubber estates, oil palms, cocoa plantations, paddy fields, kampung and make-shift hawker centres. He was a mentor of Tan Choon Ghee (1930-2010) who became a legendary watercolourist. Kuo died of a stroke in March 1966 at the age of 58.