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Dato’ Chuah Thean Teng, or popularly known as Teng, is venerated for internationalising batik as medium of fine art. His unforgettable portrayal of women and children in the rural Malaysian kampongs is at once close to heart for the common Malaysian and exotic for the Westerners. Coupled with the new method of pictorial expression using batik, Teng has received international acclaim with his works held in the collections of major galleries, museums and private collections around the world. Interestingly, his creation of batik painting came from a failed business venture where his batik factory was closed down and by experimenting with the left over wax and dyes he stumbled upon this unique medium that is to change his life forever.

Of the varied themes depicted in Teng’s remarkable opus of batik paintings, the human figure is of utmost significance. Here, Teng’s hallmark imagery of the Mother-and-Child reappears. Unlike his usual depiction of women and children set within the rural Malaysian village scenes, the figures in this piece are surrounded by abstract Cubist-like shapes and forms, clearly showing the experimental nature of Teng’s approach towards batik painting. He further broke down the figures into highly stylised planes, blending the foreground with the background, while the circular motif repeats itself rhythmically throughout the composition.

Mother and Child perfectly complements another piece which is currently held in the collection of Bank Negara Museum and Art Gallery, titled Scarlet Lips (1988), where the entire work is flushed with overtones of blues punctuated by the sharp red on the lips, while a little girl instead of a boy was portrayed as the ‘child’ in the picture.

Born in China in 1914, Chuah Thean Teng, or popularly known as Teng, studied at the Amoy Art School. He adapted the age-old craft of batik as a medium of fine art and thus was acknowledged as the Father of Batik Painting in Malaysia. He received international fame when his paintings entitled Two of a Kind and Tell You a Secret were selected by UNICEF for its greeting cards. He had exhibited extensively around the world, and was honoured with a retrospective exhibition at National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur in 1965 and Penang State Art Gallery in 1994. A memorial exhibition was also held in 2008 by National Art Gallery to pay tribute to Teng. For his contribution to art, he was awarded the title ‘Dato’ by the Penang State Government in 1998.