Lot 43 | 28 November 2021

 

 

LOT 43

CHUAH THEAN TENG, DATO

B. China, 1914 – 2008

Mother and Daughter, 1980’s

Signed “Teng” on lower left

Batik

92 x 63.5 cm

Private Collection, USA

RM 35,000 – RM 55,000

Teng’s Mother and Child series is a classic, universal motif and one that he adopted and perfected. Despite the expressions on the mother and child subjects, there is an endearing quality to the renditions, each executed in style that is distinctively Teng. The subjects portrayed differ with each artwork, mostly in a loving embrace and filled with warmth. The crackling effect in the background was the result of Teng’s tie-dye technique with waxed cloth. He allowed the wax to crack and for the dye to seep through to obtain the crackling effect which set off against the figures well.

“Art is the vision of the artist, his creation, imagination and expressions reflecting the artist’s many degrees of feeling. It is an interplay of both emotional and visual expressions where the illusions created convey the statements across. And through the different modes of expression, we are compelled to seek some standard of value to enable us to distinguish between them. This distinction is called the transformation of things.” – Datuk Chuah Thean Teng.