LOT 76
SEAH KIM JOO
(B. Singapore, 1939)
The Fishermen, Undated
Signed “Seah Kim Joo” on lower left
Batik
51.5 x 82 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kelantan
SOLD – RM 11,200
Known as one of the first few advocates of traditional batik-painting, Seah Kim Joo illustrates the dreamy version of fishermen sailing gently across the canvas this time. Set against a background that suggests at the cross between fantasy and reality, the crackling lines of the batik with haphazard dots and scatterings of faint whites provide the illusion of clouds and stars as the fishermen bask in quiescence.
Born in Singapore in the year 1939, Seah Kim Joo was raised in Terengganu, during which he was exposed to the process
of traditional batik-making. He studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1959 before returning to Malaysia to enhance his batik skills through his travels around the east coast. After having won the First Prize at the Malayan Federation Open Art Competition two years in a row, he has then been recognised for his use of dye-and-resist technique in batik. His murals have adorned the Singapore Pavilion, and one of his paintings was selected for Singapore’s commemorative stamp series.