Choo Keng Kwang, Untitled (Workers Under A Banana Tree), Undated

Wax and dye on cloth
62.5 x 44.5 cm (visible), 85 x 57 x 1.5 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good

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Choo Keng Kwang (Singaporean, 1931-2019) was a first-generation Singaporean artist well-known for his oil paintings of landscape, animals, and nature. He spent 30 years of his life in public education, working as a lecturer under the Ministry of Education and became a head of the Art Education department at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. As an artist, his artworks have been commissioned by royalty, dignitaries and governments, among other institutions. His works have also been successfully auctioned by Sotheby's and Christie's at record prices.

Choo started off with social-realistic influences and gradually moved on to impressionistic art works later on in his career as an artist. He is best known for his oil paintings of doves as symbols of peace and his enormously popular Chinatown scenes.

This piece features a rural plantation scene showcasing labourers harvesting banana trees, a recurring motif in Choo's batik works that highlights the agrarian livelihoods of the region. His dedication to the craft of Batik in his early career played a pivotal role in preserving and promoting the craft within contemporary art circles.

(Photographed in February 2025)