Well known in Singapore for his paintings of local landscapes, Ang struck out in the 1980s to travel and paint. Moving from watercolour to acrylic and oil mediums in 1978, Ang enjoyed the rich colours and depth that these paints gave his art. His paintings of flora are a more recent development, with inspiration from the impressionism of Turner and Monet. Motivated by a strong sense of beauty, Ang’s subjects are gleaned from his many sojourns in Asia and Europe.
The waterlilies of this painting are in his later style using large brushstrokes to create swathes of light and shade on the surface. Ang’s paintings are often composed with warm and deep earth tones, using a bright dash of colour in the middleground to catch the viewer’s eye. In this piece the lively pink of his lilies are enhanced with white highlights to create a delicate and light-filled canvas.
Similar works by Ang in the Singtel collection include watercolours: Boon Tat Street (1992), Port View (1992), Little India (Serangoon Road) (1994); and landscapes in oil and acrylic: Garden (1997), and Lotus Pond (1997).