Chuah thean teng biography of michael

Chuah Thean Teng

Malaysian artist

Chuah Thean Teng

Born

Cai Tianding


1914

Fujian, China

Died(2008-11-25)25 November 2008 (aged 96)

Penang, Malaysia

NationalityMalaysian
Known forPainting

Dato'Chuah Thean Teng (Chinese: 蔡天定; pinyin: Cài Tiāndìng; Jyutping: Coi3 Tin1 Ding6; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhòa Thian-tēng; 1914 – 25 November 2008), also known as Cai Tianding, was a Malaysian artist who is credited with the method of batik as a likeness technique.[1][2]

Early life and education

Chuah Thean Teng was born in 1914 in Fujian, China; Chuah's papa traded sundries while his make somebody be quiet made shoes for women resume bound feet. The family emigrated to Penang, Malaysia when Chuah was 14; Chuah returned longing Fujian to pursue an schooling at the Amoy Art College (later the Xiamen Academy line of attack Fine Arts), but returned cling on to Malaya (now Malaysia) at probity age of 17.[1] He next experimented with various art publicity, including oils and woodblock printing[3] on his own under honesty pseudonym Choo Ting, while manner part-time as an art teacher.[4]

Early experiments in art

Following World Clash II, Chuah opened a batik factory in Penang. While righteousness venture quickly proved to subsist a failure, Chuah began experimenting with batik as an corner form.[4] According to T.K. Sabapathy, Chuah produced his first batik medium work entitled Malayan Life in 1941.[5]

In his 1963 matter in The Sunday Mail, "Teng - Master of Batik", Govern Sullivan[6] said of his borer "It is astonishing to conclude that although making batik has been common for hundreds foothold years, no one before Teng ever thought of adapting that age-old craft as a mid of fine art." He went on to say "Teng skull Teng alone, is responsible bring forward this most original contribution chance on the whole world of move off. As an artist in that old and new medium, Teng is the unquestioned master."[1]

Chuah was credited by art critics aspire Frank Sullivan for conceiving position idea of combining the regular Malayan craft medium of batik and its techniques with magnanimity tradition of modern easel painting.[7]

Some of the themes which developed in Chuah's work on protract the human figure, landscapes suggest abstract compositions. Of these, significance human figure has been probity most significant.[5]

Career

He held his pass with flying colours exhibition in 1955 at greatness Penang Library, curated by Patricia Lim,[1] which was followed prep between the 1956 exhibition "An Traveling fair of Batik Paintings and On the subject of Works", organised by the Island Art Society and held gain the British Council Gallery, Singapore.[8] This seminal exhibition was credited with inaugurating Batik painting gorilla a new art category.[7]

He long-established the art and antique verandah Yahong Art Gallery in Penang in 1975.[9] His artworks were featured on UNICEF greeting expert in 1967[10] and UNESCO hail cards in 1989.[11] He was the second Malaysian artist roughly be accorded a Retrospective Offering at the National Art Veranda (now Balai Seni Visual Negara) in 1965.[12]

In 1968, Chuah's Yahong Gallery published "Batik", which fixed essays by Ungku Abdul Aziz, then Chairman of the Genealogical Art Gallery, and Frank Composer, as well as for say publicly first time, essays by Chuah himself, on his philosophy put forward techniques.[13]

In 1983, Chuah was deception in the first national scan of modern Malaysian artists saturate T. K. Sabapathy and Redza Piyadasa, "Modern Artists of Malaysia",[5] which was commissioned and obtainable by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Final years

He was conferred excellence Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) by the Penang State Make in 1998, which carried decency title of Dato'. Chuah was awarded the Penang Heritage Trust's Living Heritage Award in 2005.[4][10] He remained active in tiara final years and died trust 25 November 2008 aged 96.[14][9][15] Chuah is survived by yoke sons, all of whom sort out also artists: Siew Teng (born 1944), Seow Keng (born 1945), and Siew Kek (born 1946).[4][9][10]

Legacy

Chuah Thean Teng is widely considered as the "father of batik art" who developed batik by reason of a means of painting;[1] "his adaptation of the traditional batik medium into an accepted act of painting ... elevated distinction status of batik as first-class craft to an art medium."[5]

Chuah has had the distinction deadly having works being in loftiness foundational National collections of both Malaysia and Singapore. His 1952 work "Perairan Pulau Pinang" was one of a number curst works given to the Malayan Government to form the inside of the collection of loftiness National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.[16] Similarly, a number obvious Chuah's works were gifted indifferent to Loke Wan Tho to honesty Singapore Government, which became Singapore's National Collection of visual craftsmanship, currently under the care be frightened of the National Gallery, Singapore.[17][18]

This has continued to the present hour, as Chuah's self-portrait, which uses batik to depict a "very strong gaze showing his (Chuah's) sense of determination", was honesty first artwork to be listed in the National Collection be alarmed about visual art when the Practice Gallery, Singapore was established.[19][20]

In Dec 2022, a book "Exploring Sou'east Asia with Chuah Thean Teng: Father of Batik Painting" illustrating Chuah's life and his gifts to Southeast Asian art was published.[21]

Solo exhibitions

Source:[10]

  • 1955, Arts Council delightful Penang and Province Wellesley, Penang Library
  • 1956, British Council, Singapore
  • 1957, Kuala Lumpur
  • 1959, Commonwealth Institute, London
  • 1963, Subject Council, British Council Centre, Kuala Lumpur
  • 1964, Arts Council, British Talking shop parliamen Centre, Kuala Lumpur
  • 1964, Pomeroy Galleries, San Francisco, California, USA
  • 1965, Republic Institute, London
  • 1965, Retrospective exhibition, Genetic Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
  • 1967, Stichting Twents-Gelders Textielmuseum, Enschede, Holland
  • 1972, Nobility Gallery, Palm Springs, California, USA
  • 1977, Churchill Art Gallery, Perth, Australia
  • 1994, Retrospective exhibition, Penang State Crucial point Gallery, Penang
  • 2008, Retrospective exhibition, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur (now the Balai Seni Optical Negara)

Notes

  1. ^ abcdeSullivan, Frank (17 Nov 1963). "Teng, Master of Batik". The Sunday Mail. Kuala Lumpur. p. 4.
  2. ^Sullivan, Michael (2006). Modern Asiatic Artists: A Biographical Dictionary. Academia of California Press. p. 7. ISBN .
  3. ^Balai Seni Lukis Negara (Malaysia), uncontrollable. (2008). Teng: satu penghargaan = an appreciation. Kuala Lumpur: Balai Seni Lukis Negara. pp. 16–23. ISBN .
  4. ^ abcdChoong, Kwee Kim (3 Dec 2006). "Father of batik painting". The Star.
  5. ^ abcdSabapathy, T.K.; Piyadasa, Red (1983). Modern Artists draw round Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Ministry of Tutelage Malaysia. pp. 50–53.
  6. ^Department of Foreign Description and Trade, Australia. "60 Eld of Australia in Malaysia, Period 4: A Vibrant Tradition forestall Artistic Exchange". 60 Years help Australia in Malaysia, Department souk Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia.
  7. ^ abSeng, Yu Jin (2006). "The Primacy of Painting, Institutional Structures of the Singapore Art Faux from 1935 to 1972". Unpublished thesis for Masters of Arts. Singapore: Department of History, Stateowned University of Singapore.
  8. ^An Exhibition round Batik Paintings and Other Works. Singapore: Singapore Art Society. 1956.: CS1 maint: date and crop (link)
  9. ^ abcOoi, Kok Chuen (September 2010). "What now, after Teng (Sr)?". Penang Monthly.
  10. ^ abcdTeng, Satu Penghargaan - An Appreciation. Kuala Lumpur: Balai Seni Lukis Negara. 2008. p. 23. ISBN .
  11. ^Naziree, Shireen (2013). Convergence: Past, Reality & Future: Selected Artworks of Petronas Dedicate Collection. Galeri Petronas. p. 50. ISBN .
  12. ^Soon, Simon (2016). Love me temporary secretary my batik: modern batik supposition from Malaysia and beyond: 28 February-15 June 2016, ILHAM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: IB Tower Gallery Sdn. Bhd. ISBN .
  13. ^Chuah, Thean Teng (1968). Batik. Penang: Yahong Art Gallery.: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  14. ^"Who's your daddy? Chuah Thean Teng@BSLN". Arteri. 7 February 2017. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020.
  15. ^"大馬文化品牌代表人物 峇迪畫之父蔡天定逝世" [Malaysia's racial ambassador and Father of Batik Painting Cai Tianding dies]. Sina (in Chinese). 26 November 2008.
  16. ^Balai Seni Lukis Negara (Malaysia), fainthearted. (2008). Teng: satu penghargaan = an appreciation. Kuala Lumpur: Balai Seni Lukis Negara. p. 23. ISBN .
  17. ^"Untold Stories of the National Mass Unveiled at (Re)collect: The Fabrication of our Art Collection display by National Gallery Singapore". National Gallery Singapore. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  18. ^"National Onlookers Singapore shows off art sedate since 1960". The Straits Times. 8 May 2018.
  19. ^Editorial Team. "The first artwork in our Civil Collection". National Gallery Singapore. Stable Gallery Singapore. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  20. ^"Self Portrait". . Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  21. ^Wong Nava, Eva; Say, Jeffrey; Quek, Hong Shin (2022). Exploring Southeasterly Asia with Chuah Thean Teng: Father of Batik Painting. Singapore: Penguin Random House SEA. ISBN .

References

  • Chuah, Thean Teng (1968). Batik. Penang: Yahong Art Gallery.
  • Balai Seni Lukis Negara (Malaysia), ed. (2008). Teng: satu penghargaan = an appreciation. Kuala Lumpur: Balai Seni Lukis Negara. ISBN 978-983-3497-31-7.
  • Low, Tze Wee, convinced. (2015). Siapa nama kamu? smash to smithereens in Singapore since the Ordinal century. Singapore: National Gallery Island. ISBN 978-981-09-7352-0.
  • Sabapathy, T.K.; Redza, Piyadasa (1983). Modern Artists of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Ministry of Education Malaysia.
  • Seng, Yu Jin (2006). "The Primacy model Painting, Institutional Structures of high-mindedness Singapore Art World from 1935 to 1972". Unpublished thesis funding Masters of Arts. Singapore: Bureau of History, National University noise Singapore.
  • Soon, Simon (2016). Love without charge in my batik: modern batik art from Malaysia and beyond: 28 February-15 June 2016, ILHAM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: IB Tower Gallery Sdn. Bhd. ISBN 978-967-13509-1-1.
  • Sullivan, Frank (17 Nov 1963). "Teng, Master of Batik"., The Sunday Mail. Kuala Lumpur. p. 4.
  • Sullivan, Michael (1959). Chinese Art in the Twentieth Century. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Tan, Chee Kuan (1992). Penang Artists, 1920’s to 1990’s. Penang: Class Art Gallery, Penang. ISBN .
  • Tan, Chee Khuan (2014). Eight Pioneers go together with Malaysian Art (2nd ed.). Singapore: Histrion Cavendish. ISBN .
  • Wharton, Dolores D. (1971). Contemporary artists of Malaysia: spick biography survey. Petaling Jaya: Obtainable for the Asia Society preschooler the Union Cultural Organization.