LOT 46
TAY BAK KOI
B. Singapore, 1939 – 2005
Sunset, 1970’s
Oil on board
25.5 x 30.5 cm
Private Collection, Australia
Signed “Bak Koi” on lower right, Raya gallery label on the verso
RM 8,000 – 16,000
Tay Bak Koi shifts his focus toward a deeply atmospheric and monochromatic exploration of light and texture, as beautifully depicted in the painting. Drenched in a warm, sepia toned palette of ochres and deep umbers, the composition radiates the heavy, lingering heat of a tropical dusk. A large, stylized sun hangs suspended in the sky, its soft, glowing circular form casting an ethereal haze over the village scene below. The silhouettes of rustic stilt houses and slender vertical posts anchor the lower half of the frame, capturing the nostalgic essence of a traditional kampong or coastal settlement winding down for the day. Through this heavily textured, almost tactile paint application and semi abstracted composition, Tay beautifully translates the quiet majesty of a fading day into a meditative and timeless tribute to rural tranquility.