A herd of buffaloes in Tay Bak Koi's inimitable style of the animals shaped like Minangkabau roofs are painted expressively with a cowherd resting on the side. The topography is punctuated by the curved horns like little sickels. The sharp-angled hump forms with thinly etched outlines and the play of colours in warm hues enhance the beauty of this piece. Chia Wai Hon wrote on his buffaloes: "… tightly stylised creature with a massive body supported on two pairs of inverted V-shaped legs, a small head and a sharp hump…" Tay Bak Koi, who studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) from 1957 to 1960, under the tutelage of pioneer artists including Georgette Chen and Cheong Soo Pieng, painted in the Nanyang Style. The son of a seafood wholesaler, he had his first solo of 40 works at the Singapore National Library in 1964. In October 1996, The Art Gallery Penang hosted a solo for him, titled In Harmony With Nature. Recently, Reverie: Tay Bak Koi exhibition was held at NAFA Ngee Ann Kongsi Galleries 1 & 2 from 19 August to 3 September, 2023.