Executed in a subdued palette, Monumental – Agony depicts a seated man on a bench with his head lowered downwards against a stark background, therefore achieving an elusive quality. The contrast of dark umber colours and the light colours of the flesh convey a sense of fragility. A sense of stillness is evoked in the composition, made up of the placement of the human form in a deserted space using thick strokes of oil paint, which forms a unique matt texture. 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. 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.