LOT 55
CHUAH THEAN TENG, DATO’
B. China, 1914 – 2008
Mother and Children, 1990’s
Signed “Teng” lower right
Batik
92 x 61 cm
Private Collection, USA
RM 55,000 – RM 110,000
In terms of Dato’ Chuah Thean Teng’s Mother and Children theme, this is a work that is quintessentially Teng (as he is affectionately known). All the hallmarks of gesture, form and colours are depicted: colour harmony with the subtle nuances of red, blue and green, the close-cropped composition, the elegant configurations, supple forms of the mother to emphasise her love and affection for her children.
Art is the vision of the artist, his creation, imagination and expression reflecting the artist’s many degrees of feeling. It is an interplay of both emotional and visual expression where the illusions created convey the statements across. And through the different modes of expressions, we are compelled to seek some standard of value to enable us to distinguish between them. This distinction is called the transformation of things.” – Dato’ Chuah Thean Teng.
Teng was born in China in 1914, where he studied at the Amoy Art School. Teng first started in this medium in 1953 and therefore he can be considered the father of Batik Painting in Malaysia. According to Frank Sullivan, “His productivity in batik painting is enormous…never satisfied, he is always experimenting, seeking to give new depth and range to his batik art.”