"The Silk Road" 40" x 30" Oil on Canvas Raphael Ralph Soh (1925 - 1993) was a Korean- born painter who specialized in still lifes of Asian antiques. During the 1970s and 1980s his wellcomposed and beautifully crafted paintings made him a sought-after artist among American collectors. Each of Soh's paintings had a hidden narrative. The way that the objects related to each other and the painted screen that he used as a backdrop told a story. Unfortunately, because of the precise nature of Soh's work he never had a solo exhibition during his lifetime. Raphael Ralph Soh was born in Seoul, and although he was artistically talented, his parents discouraged him because they felt an artistic career was impractical. To their dismay, his uncle, Louis Chang, an American-trained artist, encouraged and taught Soh as a young man. Eventually he emigrated to the United States, where he became a professional painter. For many years he was represented by the Wally Findlay Galleries of Paris and Beverly Hills and Morseburg Galleries of Los Angeles.