LOT 20
LYE YAU FATT
B. Kedah, 1950
Crossing the River, 1983
Signed on lower left
Mixed media on canvas
96 x 76 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 15,000 – RM 35,000
Eyes immediately dart to the ladies captured in the act of crossing the river, enveloped by foliage, one clad in nothing but a sarong while the other has an infant strapped on her. In the background, two other ladies are seen wearing straw hats and about their antics. Lye Yau Fatt’s artworks are always bedecked with rich and earth tones, creating a homey ambiance and mood, where viewers may find peace in. He never fails to evoke a feeling of familiarity and warmth, and security, in a way. His motifs always revolve around the rustics in a rural setting, with intricate designs running along his canvas, discernible if seen closely. Lye Yau Fatt was born in Kedah in 1950, he studied printmaking in New York. He held his first solo exhibition in 1979 at the Sum Art Gallery and has then gone on to win the Open Art Sculpture Award, the Malaysian Watercolour Society Award in 1987 and the PNB Watercolour Landscape Award.