LOT 31
CHUAH THEAN TENG, DATO’
B. China, 1914 – 2008
Contentment ( Mother and Child ), 1983
Signed “Teng” on lower left
Illustrated on page 23 of “Echoes of The Past, an exhibition of works by Dato Chuah Thean Teng, Khalil Ibrahim and Kwan Chin published by KLlifestyle for the exhibition from 30th November till 3rd January 2022
Batik
94 x 63.5 cm
Private Collection, USA
RM 50,000 – RM 110,000
In terms of Dato’ Chuah Thean Teng’s Mother and Child theme, this is a work that is quintessential Teng (as he is affectionally known). All the hallmarks of gesture, form and colours are depicted: colour harmony with the subtle nuances of beige and brown, the close-cropped composition, the elegant configurations, supple forms of the mother to emphasise the love and affection. Teng is the world-acknowledged founder of Batik Painting and he never looked back after his break-through exhibition in 1955. His paintings, Two Of A Kind (1968) and Tell You A Secret (1987), took on iconic status when selected for Unicef greeting cards. He studied at the Xiamen (Amoy) Art Institute in China. He was honoured with a retrospective exhibition by the National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur in 1965 and by the Penang State Art Gallery in 1994. The Penang State Government conferred him the title “Dato” in 1998 and he received the Live Heritage Award in 2005. The National Art Gallery gave him a memorial exhibition in 2009. His major works are on show at Yahong Art Gallery in Batu Ferrringhi in Penang, which is a veritable museum also showcasing the batik works of his sons and grandsons.