Christine Ay Tjoe

Excellent overall condition, as is the canvas which is clear and taut. No restoration is found under ultraviolet light inspection. Framed.
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Christine Ay Tjoe has firmly established herself as one of key abstract artists in Indonesia today. It should be noted that within the country’s male-centric art scene, she further stands out as one of the few female painters who have received global recognition and respect. Ay Tjoe is known for her vibrant colour palette, which dominates the narratives, and unfolds in a visual cacophony of hues strewn across the canvases. An immensely private individual who finds her voice in artistic expression, Ay Tjoe’s paintings may be seen as an extension of her mind. The colours that attract and confound the audience are therefore an intimate look into her deepest hopes, fears, and dreams.

The present work entitled Bertiga #9 is an early piece from her oeuvre, for the colours selected are representative of other paintings from this period. Later works show an affiliation for “warm” colours, such as reds and oranges, for she as an artist has grown and changed, and therefore the paintings reflect this creative development as well. Akin with a writer who chooses the words to best communicate their thoughts. Ay Tjoe’s relationship with colour provides her with a set of visual tools that succinctly and lyrically convey the emotions that were felt when the painting was created. Thus in this light, the current work alludes to that moment in the artist’s life that inspired her to express herself as such.

Though at first glance the colours may appear jarring to the senses, a violent explosion of hues that are laid bare upon the canvas, the underlining emotions of the painting take hold and establish a connection with the audience. The combination of the colours that have amassed themselves upon the canvas— red, white, black, and grey, all seamlessly merging together into a nebulas-like formation, are the focal point of the painting for it is their presence that gifts Bertiga #9 with meaning, a voice, and subsequently life.