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Lot Essay
Boldly continuing in the spirit of the Singapore pioneer artists, Tay Bak Koi adapts their best qualities in the development of his own unique style. Drawing from memories of his childhood, Tay composes leisurely scenes of simpler times in a bygone era.
Kelong Scene (Lot 491) retains an Eastern aesthetic with Tay's choice of a vertical format and his use of ink. The sepia tones of his palette infuse the picture with a sense of nostalgia, its warmth enhancing the tropical ambience of the scene. Geometric shapes define the village architecture, suggesting the simple, organic materials used in their structures. The angular lines of the stilted houses are softened by the draping of translucent banners, their curvatures adding a melodic rhythm to the scene. Ever sensitive to the innate qualities of his medium, Tay does not mask the natural fibres of the paper, choosing instead to incorporate them as areas of texture and interest in the scene.
Tay developed his own signature style through his use of oil paints, maintaining an interest in capturing the visual texture of the medium in his works. In Singapore Scene (Lot 490) and Harmony (Lot 492), Tay's canvases appear heavily textured in the deliberately unblended areas of each composition.
Singapore Scene captures the Singapore River in the 1970s. The centre of mercantile trade at the time, Tay depicts the busy riverside congested with boats. Even so, Tay maintains a sense of tranquillity, like the calm before a storm, by emptying the space between the foreground and background, distancing the viewer from the hustle and bustle.
A rare composition revealing Tay's close observation of nature, Harmony puts the focus on a little dragonfly resting on a lone, white lotus flower. The delicate flower stands out against the deep green lotus fans, layered over one another to suggest depth in an otherwise flat plane. Despite the simplicity and apparent spontaneity in his varied compositions, Tay's works are the product of a great deal of planning. The artist pays attention to every detail and their contribution to the overall harmony of his paintings, as he strives to attain a visual equilibrium amongst the elements in the scene.
Kelong Scene (Lot 491) retains an Eastern aesthetic with Tay's choice of a vertical format and his use of ink. The sepia tones of his palette infuse the picture with a sense of nostalgia, its warmth enhancing the tropical ambience of the scene. Geometric shapes define the village architecture, suggesting the simple, organic materials used in their structures. The angular lines of the stilted houses are softened by the draping of translucent banners, their curvatures adding a melodic rhythm to the scene. Ever sensitive to the innate qualities of his medium, Tay does not mask the natural fibres of the paper, choosing instead to incorporate them as areas of texture and interest in the scene.
Tay developed his own signature style through his use of oil paints, maintaining an interest in capturing the visual texture of the medium in his works. In Singapore Scene (Lot 490) and Harmony (Lot 492), Tay's canvases appear heavily textured in the deliberately unblended areas of each composition.
Singapore Scene captures the Singapore River in the 1970s. The centre of mercantile trade at the time, Tay depicts the busy riverside congested with boats. Even so, Tay maintains a sense of tranquillity, like the calm before a storm, by emptying the space between the foreground and background, distancing the viewer from the hustle and bustle.
A rare composition revealing Tay's close observation of nature, Harmony puts the focus on a little dragonfly resting on a lone, white lotus flower. The delicate flower stands out against the deep green lotus fans, layered over one another to suggest depth in an otherwise flat plane. Despite the simplicity and apparent spontaneity in his varied compositions, Tay's works are the product of a great deal of planning. The artist pays attention to every detail and their contribution to the overall harmony of his paintings, as he strives to attain a visual equilibrium amongst the elements in the scene.
