Through an exuberant blend of colours, this peaceful and harmonious scene features a young elephant roaming freely in the wilderness. The hills were executed in washes of fresh blue colours. Besides strength and magnificence, a sense of lyrical movement and joy is felt throughout the composition.
Artist, art academician and intellectual-theorist, Jolly Koh has transcended his GRUP Magnificent Seven persona of 1967 as an alchemist of colours. Born in Singapore, grew up in Malacca, studied in England and the United States, taught in Malaysia and Australia, he had several solo exhibitions since his first in 1957 culminating in his major survey show Jolly Koh@76 (organised by Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers) at White Box, Publika, Kuala Lumpur, in 2017, accompanied by a 350-page retrospective book. His academic credentials: National Diploma in Design at the Hornsey College of Art in London; Art Teacher's certificate at the Institute of Education in London University; Doctor of Education and Master of Science at the Indiana University in the United States.