We see a young man captured in a thoughtful pose. The artist casts a strong light on the sitter’s persona, using striking contrasts of flesh tones against a dark background. Accomplished mastery of the human form is evident in the modelling of facial features, with hands folded, resulting in a distinct contemplative atmosphere.
Anthonie Chong graduated in Graphic Design from the Perak Institute of Art in 1991. He won the Philip Morris Asean Art Award, Malaysia in 1998. In 2000, he switched to caricature-like iconography fusing eastern surrealism with digital technology, namely his e-monk creations which morphed into @-monk in 2010, which was represented in three series — Community, Gaia and Mechanism. He had his first solo at the X Pub and Gallery in Penang in 1974. He had worked as an art teacher (Art Design, Kuala Lumpur), graphic designer, illustrator and lecturer at Art Direction (1992-1995), before helping out a relative in his business.