Alex Leong, The Majestic, 2021

Alex Leong
The Majestic, 2021
Fine Art Print, Limited edition of 100

Print: 60cm (W) x 24.5cm (H)
Framed Print: 76cm (W) x 40cm (H)

About the artist
Penang-based Alex Leong has dedicated himself to his art for over 20 years, building a portfolio that catalogued rapturous, vivid scenes of local life. Leong’s talent had been recognised early, in 1992 when he was awarded the prize for the Penang State Pesta Art for young talent in a major category. In 2003, he won the Han Chiang Association Watercolour Competition before he triumphed in the 1st Putrajaya National Watercolour Competition in 2006. Leong has participated in a litany of group exhibitions, with his first solo show in 2012 in Kuala Lumpur. He was also inducted into the Penang Watercolour Society and Malaysian Watercolour Society that same year.

However, the turning point in his career came in 2015 when he enjoyed wider acclaim at The Edge Auction and a successful solo exhibition “Heritage Buildings in Exquisite Watercolours” that followed. His depictions of familiar scenes around the Lion City will enthuse viewers, whose local knowledge of memorable places and neighbourhoods will instantly be triggered, leaving a smile – something which Leong’s paintings are apt to do. Elegantly detailed and characterised by precise brushwork, his works are charming and vibrant. Like the award-winning artists Tan Choon Ghee and Ong Kim Seng who are his greatest influences, Leong prefers to paint en plein air to achieve accuracy of light and colour.

About the artwork
This was originally a Cantonese opera house built by philanthropist Eu Tong Sen in 1927 for his wife after she was refused admittance to another opera performance house. A highlight of this Art Deco building is its decorated façade of hand-painted tiles depicting opera characters and flying dragons. Not content with building merely one theatre, Eu bought all the properties on the entire street, popularly known then as Theatre Street.

Framing
Mat board with teak frame design, standard clear glass.