LOT 41
CHUAH THEAN TENG, DATO’
B. China, 1914 – 2008
Durian Harvest, Circa 1980
Signed “Teng” on lower left
Batik
91 x 60.5 cm
Private Collection, Singapore
RM 45,000 – RM 75,000
In terms of Dato’ Chuah Thean Teng’s farmers theme, this is a work that is quintessential Teng (as he is affectionately known). All the hallmarks of gesture, form and colours are depicted, colour harmony with the subtle nuances of green and blue, the close-cropped composition, the elegant configurations and supple forms of two ladies with baskets of durian balanced graceful atop their their head, along with their playful children who are eager to help.
Teng is the world-acknowledged founder of Batik Painting and he never looked back after his breakthrough 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 Ferringhi in Penang, which is a veritable museum also showcasing the batik works of his sons and grandsons.