{"product_id":"tay-bak-koi-at-the-market-undated","title":"Tay Bak Koi, At the Market, Undated","description":"\u003cp\u003eWatercolour on paper\u003cbr\u003e40 x 45 cm (unframed) \u003cbr\u003eCondition: Very good\u003cbr\u003eCertificate of Authenticity from the Estate of Tay Bak Koi available.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e-\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTay Bak Koi (Singaporean, 1939–2003\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e studied under Cheong Soo Pieng (Chinese, 1917–1983) at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1957. During his three-year course, he supported himself by selling crabs at a market stall while experimenting with oils and watercolours. Frustrated by the structural rigidity and formal instructional methods of art academia, he was determined to pursue a lifelong career in the arts but recognised the need to cultivate a distinctive style to establish himself as an artist.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eTay’s early works captured Singapore’s vanishing landscapes, portraying geometric kelongs and kampongs with a keen sensitivity to texture. His restrained use of colour acted as a form of punctuation, emphasising contrast and meaning within his compositions. Blending fantasy and reality, his art often reimagined urban landscapes through abstraction. A master of elimination and distortion, Tay distilled complex forms to their essence, developing a visual language that was both striking and deeply introspective.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(Photographed in April 2026)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Art Again","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53309425811821,"sku":null,"price":9000.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0889\/4159\/2941\/files\/2-_171_AttheMarket_Undated_40x45_1.jpg?v=1778500056","url":"https:\/\/artagain.co\/products\/tay-bak-koi-at-the-market-undated","provider":"Art Again","version":"1.0","type":"link"}