LOT 33
TAY BAK KOI
B. Singapore, 1939 – 2005
Untitled (Landscape with Figure)
Watercolour, pencil and gouache on paper
44 x 86 cm
Signed “Bak Koi” towards lower right
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Canada
RM 6,000 – 12,000
Tay Bak Koi’s Untitled (Landscape with Figure) exemplifies the Singaporean master’s enduring fascination with the quiet rhythms of rural Southeast Asian life. Executed in watercolour, pencil and gouache, the work presents an idyllic landscape animated by a solitary figure whose understated presence reinforces the harmony between humanity and nature. Delicately layered washes, subtle pencil delineation and opaque gouache highlights create a lyrical composition that balances observation with poetic interpretation, resulting in a scene that feels both familiar and dreamlike.
A second generation Singaporean artist, Tay Bak Koi (1939–2005) was celebrated for his evocative depictions of kampung life, fishing villages, pastoral landscapes and buffaloes.