Born in 1941 in Malaysia, Tay Chee Toh studied at Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and has a postgraduate degree (Oil Painting) from China. He is the recipient of numerous painting and sculpture awards, and in 1985 Tay was conferred the Government of Singapore’s Cultural Medallion Award.This early ink drawing shows a sketch of a kampong village scene. Similar in composition to pioneer artist and mentor Cheong Soo Pieng in its structured use of lines, this work forms a good study piece of Tay’s artistic development. Many of Tay's works in the Singapore Art Museum’s collection are from the 1980s, a time perhaps when he was most active and popular. But the sense of place is obvious, as is the excellent grasp of design and composition. Tay's education as a local artist is rooted in his work, whether in his choice of subject matter, or colour and methodology.
