LOT 33
SEAH KIM JOO
B. Singapore, 1939
Two Sisters, 1970s
Signed “Seah Kim Joo” on lower left
Batik on silk
61 x 45 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Singapore
Born in 1939 and raised in Terengganu, Seah Kim Joo was exposed to the process of traditional batik-making very early in his career as an artist. It was the environment of his hometown that first introduced him to the notion of batik. Subsequently, in the 1950s, when the Penang- based artist Chuah Thean Teng first pioneered painting using the batik medium, Seah was drawn more into batik painting. It also resulted in Seah being an ardent follower of the late Chuah and his works, since the manifestation of contemporary themes in a traditional medium was regarded as a direct expression of Nanyang regionalism. Seah’s works is nature and people, apart from occasional abstract pieces. Perhaps it was the cultural background of his hometown in Terengganu that influenced his choice of subject matters.