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Lot Essay
The development of the 'Nanyang' school is considered a formative part of Singapore art history. During the mid-20th century, the term 'Nanyang' was used to describe the contemporary culture of Chinese migrants; and when applied to art, grew to represent the mix of styles and techniques displayed by first-generation artists such as Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Wen Hsi, Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee and Georgette Chen. Nanyang style art combines classical Chinese art training with Parisian aesthetics particularly in the composition of small figurative scenes and still lifes.
First-generation Chinese migrant and 'Nanyang School' pioneer Cheong Soo Pieng is acclaimed for merging figurative studies with a keen sense of modernism, while maintaining a poignant sense of localized authenticity to the Southeast Asian region. Compositions such as Sisters (Lot 124) and Mother and Child (Lot 125), which are small-scale intimate renditions, exemplify Cheong's fascination with Southeast Asian culture and village life, particularly from the island of Bali which inspired Cheong for most of his career. Cheong employs meticulous skill in detailing the women's long-lidded faces, elongated limbs and foliage backgrounds, where he utilizes a certain 'pointillist' technique which brings to mind his early training in Chinese ink painting, rendering details through impression rather than realism.
Fishermen by the River (Lot 325), painted in 1961, is a relatively early example of Cheong's Chinese studies of Southeast Asian scenes. Employing a traditional vertical format, it nonetheless conveys the flavor of a local fishing village and life therein, as does the piquancy of another local study, Kampong Scene (Lot 326)
By comparison, Harbour Scene (Lot 136) is strikingly modern in execution, and this sense of modernity is further borne out by Cheong's experimentations with the metal relief medium, seen in Seated Lady (Lot 126) which reflects his interest in depicting Balinese themes through a combination of metal collages, glazed enamel, and ceramic tiles, lending a three-dimensional texture to Cheong's iconic motifs and inspirations.
First-generation Chinese migrant and 'Nanyang School' pioneer Cheong Soo Pieng is acclaimed for merging figurative studies with a keen sense of modernism, while maintaining a poignant sense of localized authenticity to the Southeast Asian region. Compositions such as Sisters (Lot 124) and Mother and Child (Lot 125), which are small-scale intimate renditions, exemplify Cheong's fascination with Southeast Asian culture and village life, particularly from the island of Bali which inspired Cheong for most of his career. Cheong employs meticulous skill in detailing the women's long-lidded faces, elongated limbs and foliage backgrounds, where he utilizes a certain 'pointillist' technique which brings to mind his early training in Chinese ink painting, rendering details through impression rather than realism.
Fishermen by the River (Lot 325), painted in 1961, is a relatively early example of Cheong's Chinese studies of Southeast Asian scenes. Employing a traditional vertical format, it nonetheless conveys the flavor of a local fishing village and life therein, as does the piquancy of another local study, Kampong Scene (Lot 326)
By comparison, Harbour Scene (Lot 136) is strikingly modern in execution, and this sense of modernity is further borne out by Cheong's experimentations with the metal relief medium, seen in Seated Lady (Lot 126) which reflects his interest in depicting Balinese themes through a combination of metal collages, glazed enamel, and ceramic tiles, lending a three-dimensional texture to Cheong's iconic motifs and inspirations.