Tay Bak Koi, Untitled (Midday in the Field), Undated

Watercolour and gouache on paper
26 x 28.5 cm (visible), 46.5 x 46.5 x 2.5 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good

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Tay Bak Koi (Singaporean, 1939–2003) 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.

Tay’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.

(Photographed in February 2025)