{"product_id":"tay-bak-koi-returning-home-3-1989","title":"Tay Bak Koi, Returning Home (3), 1989","description":"\u003cp\u003eWatercolour on paper\u003cbr\u003e75 x 68 cm\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Very good\u003cbr\u003eCertificate of Authenticity from the Estate of Tay Bak Koi available.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\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\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eAlongside his signature water buffaloes, Tay Bak Koi's other constant subject was the working waterway of fishing villages, floating markets, boats drawn up on rocks, rendered in the muted browns, blues and yellows he reserved for the Singapore River and its trades. Of this group, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/artagain.co\/products\/tay-bak-koi-floating-market-1967\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFloating Market (1967)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e is the earliest artwork painted while that world was still fully intact; \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/artagain.co\/products\/tay-bak-koi-trees-1989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTrees (1989)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/artagain.co\/products\/tay-bak-koi-returning-home-3-1989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReturning Home (3) (1989)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e comes after the waterfront's clearance, looking back at the same subject from further away, and while \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/artagain.co\/products\/tay-bak-koi-fishing-undated\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFishing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/artagain.co\/products\/tay-bak-koi-fishing-on-a-rock-undated\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFishing on a Rock\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e are undated, they sit within the same body of work. Together they trace one subject across decades of Tay's career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e-\u003c\/span\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\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\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e(Photographed in July 2026)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Art Again","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53601267024237,"sku":null,"price":17000.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0889\/4159\/2941\/files\/2-DSC06894.jpg?v=1785160247","url":"https:\/\/artagain.co\/products\/tay-bak-koi-returning-home-3-1989","provider":"Art Again","version":"1.0","type":"link"}