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Attributed to Chuah Thean Teng (Malaysia, 1914-2008): Mother and Children

Auction Date: June 19, 2020

Estimate: $2,000 - 3,000

Sold for: $3,900






Lot: 5235

Batik dye on cloth laid on board, framed on light box, signed Teng to the lower left.
Painting size: 36 x 24 inches.
Chuah Thean Teng is commonly acknowledged as the founder of modern batik art, transforming the notion of batik as craft to its acceptance within the Malayan art world from the 1950s onwards as a form of modern art.

Batik is the wax-resist dye technique used to fasten different colours on cloth. The inspiration to create batik paintings struck Chuah Thean Teng in 1953 after the closure of his batik cloth factory in Penang. Unwilling to discard his large stock of leftover imported dyes of different colours, rolls of white cloth, wax and brushes, Teng took a turn from floral patterns of commercial batik and dabbled in figurative designs. With the help of a wax-containing tool made of brass or copper called tjantjing, he went through a laborious process of applying and removing wax to ensure different dyes only appeared on certain parts of the cloth. After two years of experimentation, he succeeded in creating a small batik pointillist self-portrait.

Following that, Teng, as he is popularly known, found the patronage of a a few influential art historians and art dealers and was given the opportunity to showcase his batik creations. He quickly adopted the motifs that were most central to Malayan art at that time, painting scenes of Malayan daily life.


Auction Date: June 19, 2020


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