Chuah Thean Teng

Datuk Chuah Thean Teng (Chinese: 蔡天定; pinyin: Cài Tiāndìng; 1914  25 November 2008), also known as Cai Tianding,[1] was a Malaysian artist who is widely credited for developing batik as a painting technique.

Chuah Thean Teng
Born
Cai Tianding

1914
Fujian, China
Died(2008-11-25)25 November 2008 (aged 96)
Penang, Malaysia
NationalityMalaysian
Known forPainting

Early life and education

Chuah Thean Teng was born in 1914 in Fujian, China; Chuah's father traded sundries while his mother made shoes for women with bound feet. The family emigrated to Penang, Malaysia when Chuah was 14; Chuah returned to Fujian to pursue an education at the Xiamen Academy of Fine Arts, but was forced to return to Malaysia due to an illness. He subsequently experimented with various art media on his own under the pseudonym Choo Ting, while working part-time as an art teacher.[2]

Career

Following World War II, Chuah opened a batik factory in Penang. While the venture quickly proved to be a failure, Chuah subsequently became recognised for his unique batik artworks and in 1955, he held his first batik art exhibition.[2] He established the art and antique gallery Yahong Art Gallery in 1975.[3] His artwork was featured on UNESCO greeting cards in 1989.[4]

Final years

Chuah was awarded the Penang Heritage Trust's Living Heritage Award in 2005.[2] He remained active in his final years and died on 25 November 2008 aged 96.[5][3][6] Chuah is survived by three sons, all of whom are also artists: Siew Teng (born 1944), Seow Keng (born 1945), and Siew Kek (born 1946).[2][3]

Legacy

Chuah Thean Teng is widely regarded as the "father of batik art" who developed batik as a means of painting;[2][7][8] "his adaptation of the traditional batik medium into an accepted form of painting ... elevated the status of batik as a craft to an art medium."[9] Chuah's self-portrait, which uses batik to depict a "very strong gaze showing his (Chuah's) sense of determination", was the first artwork to be registered in the National Collection of visual art at the National Gallery Singapore.[10]

References

  1. Sullivan, Michael (2006). Modern Chinese Artists: A Biographical Dictionary. University of California Press. p. 7. ISBN 9780520244498.
  2. Choong, Kwee Kim (3 December 2006). "Father of batik painting". The Star.
  3. Ooi, Kok Chuen (September 2010). "What now, after Teng (Sr)?". Penang Monthly.
  4. Naziree, Shireen (2013). Convergence: Past, Reality & Future: Selected Artworks of Petronas Art Collection. Galeri Petronas. p. 50. ISBN 9789839738896.
  5. "Who's your daddy? Chuah Thean Teng@BSLN". Arteri. 7 February 2017.
  6. "大馬文化品牌代表人物 峇迪畫之父蔡天定逝世" [Malaysia's cultural ambassador and Father of Batik Painting Cai Tianding dies]. Sina (in Chinese). 26 November 2008.
  7. "Late artist and trishaw rider honoured with container murals". The Star. 30 January 2020.
  8. Koshy, Elena (24 June 2019). "Amazing art showcase". New Straits Times.
  9. "Self Portrait". Roots.sg. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  10. "National Gallery Singapore shows off art collected since 1960". The Straits Times. 8 May 2018.
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