작품 상세

Deriving from the Innocence series, this sublime illustration of a young girl is Kow Leong Kiang's depiction of purity. Rural girls of Malay descent are Kow's subject of interest portraying female values based on Malay culture — the ideals of modesty, innocence and naivety are ingrained from childhood. He opts for an earthy palette applied with gentle strokes to depict the child's vulnerability apparent in her gaze. Kow's skilfulness in portraiture and figurative drawings sets him apart from his contemporaries with his delicate strokes and rustic palette. Kow Leong Kiang stamped his class when he clinched Southeast Asia's most coveted prize, the Grand Prize of the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards, in the finals in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 1998, with his work, Mr. Foreign Speculator, Stop Damaging Our Country. Other accolades include the Minor Award in the Young Contemporary Artists (BMS) competition in 1992 and the Major Award in the National Day competition. His art residences include the Vermont Studio Centre, USA (2004) and the Tembi Contemporary in Yogyakarta, and he had featured in Art Busan, Art Formosa, Art Stage Singapore and Art Expo Malaysia. His painting of Mahsuri for the cover of Ooi Kok Chuen's novel, MAHSURI A Legend Reborn (2016), has been dubbed the Malaysian Mona Lisa. Kow graduated from the Kuala Lumpur College of Art in 1991.