The Lover is a rare case of a couple in love in three-dimensional form by painter-printmaker-sculptor Eng Tay, as his sculptural repertoire revolves mostly around the solitary nubile nymph, naked, in a sensual pose. A master of the intimate moments, Eng Tay transforms his canvas / prints figures outside the wall space, milking the emotional pathos with gestures, facial expressions, tilt of the head and a pervasive sensual quality. An incorrigible romantic, Eng Tay, nee Tay Eng Chye, holds to the maxim, it’s love that makes the world go round. The couple may seem fused in an awkward position, with the man at the back, holding the woman’s neck in a clinch with a reciprocating touch from the woman. But from the sculptural viewpoint of shape, stability and strength, this back clasp looks sound and even dramatic. A vertical format, that is of the figures standing, may pose more problems. The pose may recall Rodin’s The Kiss or more pertinently, Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss. There is also the Hindu art reference point of the Sanskrit Mithuna (couple copulating) from the Kamasutra dossier. As the title goes, it recalls the 1992 steamy flick, The Lover, starring Tony Leung Ka Fai and a ‘virginal’ French teenager played by Jane March, which was directed by French auteur Jean-Jacques Annaud from a novel by Marguerite Duras. According to the artist Eng Tay, only four copies had been cast although it is in edition of 25. Eng Tay’s art career is a Malaysian success story about an Alor Setar lad who went to New York City in 1968 to study at the Art Students League (1969-1972) and the Pratt Graphics Centre (1972-1977) to become a printmaker par excellence, and later became known for his huge oil paintings and mantlepiece sculptures. Three of his monumental bronze sculptures are at Kiaraville condominium in Mont Kiara, Zehn Bukit Pantai in Bangsar, and Marc Residence in KLCC area. He was accorded a major retrospective by Galeri Petronas in 2009. His works are in the collection of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the Fukuyama Museum of Art in Hiroshima, Japan; the New York University, the Frankie Valli Estate and the Merv Griffin Estate in the United States.