CHUAH
THEAN TENG - PIONEER OF BATIK PAINTING
Chuah Thean Teng (or simply Teng as he
signs his works) is Malaysia’s foremost artist in batik painting.
Teng adapted the traditional and very ancient craft of dyeing
on cloth - known as batik - and pioneered the use of the batik
medium as a new from of fine art. His mastery of this novel
art form has enabled Teng to express the spirit and feeling
of this beautiful country in South East Asia and the daily life
of her people.
Teng is recognized as the pioneer and premier exponent of batik
painting and is venerated for his contribution of this new means
of pictorial expression. The draftmanship of Teng is that of
a master with his bold sweeping lines which flow with a sense
of rhythm. His painting glows with a radiance showing a mastery
of colours in his batiks and communicating joy in life.
Miss
Jane Seymour visited Teng at
his studio |
Andre
Kostelanetz (Musician)
visited at his studio |
|
Teng’s creativity is evident in the batik works that he has
produces. With his receptive eyes and the sureness of an artist’s
hand, he has captured the elegance of Malaysian life, predominantly
using rural villages and their people as his subjects: villagers
attending their daily chores; children playing; and folk at
leisure. Teng’s themes are warm and simple, and his art in the
batik medium gives fresh flavour and quality to the unique local
scene.
Born in Fukien, China, in the year 1914, Teng is the son of
an importing and exporting tradesman. His interest in art began
when he was just a young child and he was encouraged by his
parents to express himself artistically. Teng has happy recollections
of his childhood and these memories are often reflected in his
works.
Teng’s formal art education was gained at the Amoy Art Institute.
At the age of 18, he moved to Malaysia with his parents to help
his father in his trading company.
He has led a varied life but throughout the kaleidoscopic years
he has always been an artist. Times were hard for an unknown
artist and became even harder during the World War II when all
artistic talents were temporarily sup- pressed. When the world
war II was over, Teng operated a batik factory but it did not
flourish.
With all the leftover materials, Teng began innovating in the
batik medium. However, it was only through years of experimentation
and hard- ship in developing this new form of fine art that
he learnt how to incorporated his abilities both as an artist
and as a batik craftsman.
His first successful batik painting was a self-portrait executed
in pointilistic technique, using red, green yellow and black
dyes on white cloth. This vital experiment was the turning point
and from then on Teng launched himself into the earnest endeavour
of elevating batik painting into a new form of fine art.
At small collection of artworks in the new medium was soon assembled.
He showed his batik paintings to the art enthusiasts, Dr. Lim
Kee Liang and his wife, Patricia Lim, of the Penang Library.
In September 1955, Mrs. Lim together with Mr. Wilfred P]umbe
(University of Singapore) and Mr. James Mandy (Regional Director
of Brit- ish Council) presented Teng’ first one-man exhibi-
tion, organized by the Penang Arts Council at the Penang Library.
Teng
visiting University of Beijing
in Beijing |
Pathe
News taking pictures of
Teng's work during commonwealth Institute, London
|
|
The exhibition was an immediate success and was well received
by an enthusiastic public. It was truly a memorable and rewarding
achievement for Teng who had struggled hard for many years against
all odds to elevate batik painting as a form of fine art.
Teng is an artist who enjoys exaggeration in his art: heads
titled to a right angle; small heads set on big and muscular
bodies with distorted limbs and elongated bodies writhing inmovement.
His colours blend perfectly into the compositions, bathing the
figures in exotic hues. Yet, he executes these exaggerated figures
with a style distinctively his own, enticing the viewer to escape
into his world of imagination.
The reverberation of Teng’s success in batik painting spread
far and wide. In 1956, he was awarded another one-man show of
nearly 100 works at the Singapore Art Society which was the
leading art group in Malaya at that time. Needless to say, it
was another successful exhibition.
Teng’s first international exhibition was held in 1959 at the
Commonwealth Institute of Art in London, England. This exhibition
was sponsored by the Federal Government at the request of the
Arts Council. It was the first time that the Government has
sponsored an overseas exhibition by any Malayan artist.
His debut in the West was impressive, the viewing public was
enthusiastic about his art and most of his works were sold on
the opening day. The British Council granted Teng a "Fellowship"
and he spent a few months in the United Kingdom attending to
exhibitions of his work held in England and Ireland.
In the same year, the Federal Government commissioned a mural
on "Malaysian Life" for its new High Commission in Canberra,
Australia. In 1960, Malayan Tobacco Company commissioned a mural
entitled "Malayan Products"; and he also won an open competition
organized by the Uni- versity of Malaya with the theme "Malayan
Agriculture".
Teng was awarded the Diploma of Merit in 1962 when representative
works by him were shown at the First International Art Exhibition
in Saigon, Vietnam.
The following year in April 1963, the Arts Council sponsored
a one-man on, Siew Keng’s paintings to be included in their
greeting card selection. The works that were chosen were entitled
"Tell You A Secret" by Teng, and "Fish" and "Rural Life" by
Siew Keng.
The following year in April 1963, the Arts Council sponsored
a one-man exhibition of Teng’s works at the British Council
Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The exhibition was an over-
whelming success with many distinguished guests including Her
Majesty, The Permaisuri Agung (The Queen of Malaysia), the British
High Com- missioner and representatives from National Art Gallery
and University of Malaya buying for their collections, along
with other art collectors. Among the crowd that visited the
exhibition were the famous author Han Suyin, university academicians,
foreign ambassadors and other dignitaries.
In February 1965, the National Art Gallery of Malaysia in Kuala
Lumpur presented a one-man show Teng’s paintings prior to his
exhibitions in Europe. In their catalogue for this exhibition,
the National Art Gallery announced:-
"This is only the second time that the National Art Gallery
has given an artist in Malaysia the honour of a one-man exhibition,
and this display provides an opportunity to pay tribute to Teng
as the creator of batik painting as a fine art."
Teng was again invited by the Commonwealth Institute in 1965
to hold another exhibition. The Commonwealth Institute also
acquired two of Teng’s batik paintings entitled "Making Batik"
and "Picking Sireh Leaves" for their art collection.
In 1977, the Commonwealth Institute honoured Teng when he was
invited as Malay- sia ‘ s only representative to the "Commonwealth
Artists of Fame" held in London, England. This exhibition was
organized by the Art Gallery of the Commonwealth Institute to
mark the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II’s
Coronation.
When he was exhibiting in Europe in 1965, the United Nations’
International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) selected his batik painting
"Two Of A Kind", depicting children in their mother’s arms,
as their greeting card. He is the first Malaysian to be so honoured.
The UNICEF repeated the honour again 1988 when they chose both
Teng’s and his son, Seow Keng’s paintings to be included in
their greeting card selection. The works that were chosen were
entitled "Tell You A Secret" by Teng, and "Fish" and "Rural
Life" by Siew Keng.
In "Tell You A Secret", Teng depicts a woman. whispering a secret
into the ear of another while a young girl tries to eavesdrop
in the background, partly hidden behind a curtain. The "secret"
will always remain a mystery as intended by the artist.
Besides batik painting, Teng also works in different media,
including oil, mixed media, gouache, woodcuts and sculptures.
His paintings express his delight in natural, unsophisticated
beauty, his compassion for humanity being presented in a style
that is both distinctively his own and yet at the same time
reflecting the vibrant spirit of the country - Malaysia. Dominant
in his works are his paintings of mothers and children. Especially
notable is the exquisite sensitivity he possesses in portraying
the love and tenderness between a mother and her children.
The international recognition of his work is deservedly Teng’s
who has done so much in elevating the batik painting as a from
of fine art. His reputation as the "Father and Master of Batik
Painting" is an accolade well bestowed.
Today, the dozen of batik painting has his won gallery in Penang
where works by him and his sons, Siew Teng, Seow Keng and Siew
Kek are on display. |
