A largely monochromatic painting depicting a buffalo herd with 2 buffalos in a semi-abstract landscape. This 1970s work is an excellent example of Tay Bak Koi’s development towards figural stylisation, flat forms and economy of colours in preference for play of tonal registers, formal values that would become signature to his practice along with the themes of rural fishing villages, kampong scens and buffaloes.Tay Bak Koi started his artistic journey in the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1957, training under under Cheong Soo Pieng. Unsatisfied with the structural rigidity and formal instructional methods of the school, he spent much of his three-year course selling crabs at a market stall while experimenting with oils and watercolours. He is well known for his portrayals of fishing villages, kampong (village) scenes and urban landscapes. His artistic style tends towards a blend of realism and fantasy.
