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Artist Desmond Sim

On a Japan Airlines scholarship to Sophia University in Tokyo, Desmond studied Japanese art history. This introduction into Eastern art eventually led to Desmond's future and continuing interest, also, in Chinese and Southeast Asian art forms. One other important encounter in Tokyo was Desmond's serendipitous visit to the Imperial Palace Museum in the heart of Tokyo. There he was treated to the largest ever exhibition of Amadeo Modigliani's works in the world (Tokyo was at the height of its boom years then). This encounter with Modigliani's works would result in two significant developments in his growth as an artist. Firstly, when Desmond started painting human forms, he was heavily influenced by Modigliani's Art Deco-influenced style. And, secondly, the introduction of Modigliani also sparked Desmond to research seriously into other painters such as Chagall, Picasso, Botero, Reviera, Rousseau and Tamara de Lempicka.

In 1991, Desmond was, again sent on a scholarship. This time it was to the Tisch School of the Arts in New York. Although the Fulbright Professional Programme had sent Desmond to immerse himself in American theatre and poetry, Desmond spent a large part of his time there visiting the New York Metropolitan Musem and the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. There, he managed to examine, first hand, the many paintings he had heretofore just seen in books. As part of the programme had Desmond traveling across America, he took the opportunity to visit the many galleries and museums across America.

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While in his 20's Desmond dabbled with watercolours and inks on paper, and collages. But as he grew in appreciation of Chinese art and his mother's Peranakan heritage, he found painting with acrylics on canvas more suitable. In 1990, Desmond was to leave behind his Chinese-themed paintings, to focus purely on painting Peranakan subjects.

Many of Desmond's paintings reveal a passion for the beauty and ornate nature of Peranakan aesthetics. His colours reverberate with the bright and cheerful rainbow of the Peranakan palette. There are many scenes that come from a Peranakan household, and a Peranakan childhood. The world of Desmond's paintings is a wistful one, where there was time to daydream; time to play; and time to spend time together with loved ones.

In the Peranakan-styled art that he is now best known for, Desmond is totally self-taught. He still loves Modigliani, Rousseau, de Lempicka and the Art Deco influence (in fact he lives in the Art Deco walk-ups of Tiong Bahru). He has won many national prizes - for playwriting, poetry and prose - but not (yet) for painting. He paints for the sheer pleasure of the colours; and for the sheer freedom offered by pristine canvases. While his day job has totally to do with words (he is a communications and branding consultant), his passion totally takes up the other side of his brain in his free time. It is a passion that has grown for nearly two decades, and has yet to abate.

Copyright @ 2006 artprintsasia.com; fineprintzasia.com Our gallery showcases Art Prints of original Paintings by Asian Artists. Periodically we have available Original Paintings by Singapore Artists Desmond Sim, Chan Chang How 陈长豪, Paul Koh, Justin Lee, Ye Ruoshi, Chad Maxwell, Alan Louis, Lee Boon Wang, Ang Eng San and others. Works include Flowerism & Catmasutra. We hope that you will enjoy the visual exhibits of Asian Artworks.