Cheong Soo Pieng

Acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, Singapore

Singapore, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Galleries 1 & 2, Soo Pieng, Singapore,  February 2 - March 3 2013, Bridget Tracy Tan

Bridget Tracy Tan, Soo Pieng, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Galleries 1 & 2, Singapore, 2013, p. 37, colorplate

Adeline Chia, Artist of Many Faces: Cheong Soo Pieng Survey at NAFA, http://sea.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/862595/artist-of-many-faces-cheong-soo-pieng-survey-at-nafa, 2013 

The work is in good condition overall, as is the canvas, which is clear and taut. Upon close observation, there is evidence of light wear and handling around the edges of the painting, along with a slight undulation on the top right corner. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals a gentle touch-up on the jar (left register). Framed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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The modernist art movement in Singapore is directly associated with the term “Nanyang”. The expression characterizes the artworks that emerged during the late 1940s, and may be defined as a sense of vision, spirit and identity, rather than a specific artistic genre. While the term references a mixture of styles and techniques derived from Chinese pictorial traditions and the School of Paris, “Nanyang” is also the geographic zone beyond the South China Sea that consists of a melange of ethnic communities such as the Javanese, Malay, Indian and Chinese.

The term was first conceptualized by art historians T.K. Sabapathy and Redza Piyadasa in 1979 during a retrospective exhibition of the first-generation Chinese migrant artists in Singapore. These sojourning artists painted the local cultures and lifestyles of the region with fresh new idioms, demonstrating an unprecedented cross-fertilization of art during the latter half of the twentieth century.

A cornerstone of Nanyang art is widely attributed to the occasion in 1952, when Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Wen Hsi, Liu Kang and Chen Chong Swee, set foot in Bali for the first time. Hosted by the senior Belgian artist Adrien Jean Le Mayeur de Merprés, the artists sought to invent a new artistic language to represent the diverse cultures that applied to the Nanyang group. While sketching the Balinese landscapes and daily scenes of villagers, Soo Pieng experimented with color symbolism and non-naturalistic depictions.

Elements such as elongated limbs and simplified almond-shaped eyes are already visible in early oil pieces like Untitled (Balinese Girl) [Fig. 1]. Depicting figures and forms in a stylized manner soon became a motif that he pursued for the rest of his career, and this is evident in later paintings, such as Two Sisters (Fig. 2). The historic expedition introduced a whole new spectrum of visual sources for Soo Pieng, formenting in forty years of prolific art-making^1_. The enchanting beauty, sights and sounds of the tropical paradise not only left an enduring impression on the painter’s conception of art, but the journey ultimately inspired him to venture to other parts of Southeast Asia.

In the present lot Malay Life, Soo Pieng creates a picture composed of his signature iconography, one that “embodies his praise for Southeast Asian beauty”². The aggregation of stylistic elements is a reflection of Soo Pieng’s active assimilation of symbols, imageries, and cultures that he extracted throughout his lifetime³. By the completion of this canvas in 1981, Soo Pieng had already spent valuable time in Southeast Asia, held milestone exhibitions in Europe, revisited Bali and China, and all the while challenging himself to an extensive range of styles and mediums. A cursory glance recalls the familiar topic of his well-known Bali and Sarawak girls. However the sense of a serene stillness in the painting alludes to Soo Pieng’s later years as an older artist, and is perhaps a way to reminisce and rekindle his love for Nanyang and to reaffirm his heritage.

In Malay Life, Soo Pieng has portayed the figures in silent repose. Here is a momentary pause that has been eternalized. Actions may be suspended, but the scene is not without activity. The figures unfold across the canvas with an internalized rhthym and composure, each placement of detail adding to the final compositional balance. The picture communicates a meditative serenity, transporting the viewer to, perhaps, a space closer to paradise.

Present within the canvas are Soo Pieng’s trademark features: oval-angular faces, almond-lidded eyes, thin-arching brows, long thin limbs and an emphasis on posture^4_. They signal a profound insight into the cultures of the people he portrayed, for the stylization reflects an immediate influence from the shapes of wayang kulit, the traditional shadow puppets from Indonesia (Fig. 3)⁵. The background is painted in a muted gold, presenting an idyllic scene while suggesting an ambiguous space⁶. Filling the atmosphere with a myriad of golden specks, Soo Pieng places his figures in an unknown realm and inserts them into the tranquility of East Malaysia.

The style shows close connections to the paintings of Austrian artist Gustav Klimt (Fig. 4), and harks back to the striking Byzantine mosaics (Fig. 5). Moreover the circular object that is present in many of the abstract works, oftentimes shown as as the sun or the moon, reappears in Malay Life as as a rock resting upon the dirt (Fig. 6). The deliberate size and placement of the rock grounds the way the audience perceives and makes sense of the painting. “Soo Pieng certainly understood form as a visual intricacy, and [plays] with scale as a means of visual contortion”⁷. The overall hermetic mood of the work is no doubt a characteristic carried over from his earlier foray into abstraction.   

Paying tribute to his year long sojourn in Sarawak and Sabah, Cheong Soo Pieng captures the timeless elements of a localized landscape, as well as the indigenous beauty of Southeast Asia that left an impression upon the artist. Through the stylization of the figures, Soo Pieng sought to capture the Nanyang identity, and make it universally understood. Malay Life is a phenomenal work that encapsulates the ground-breaking moments of his career. Therefore the painting may be seen as a culmination of the artist’s pursuit of a highly individualized aesthetic vision.

¹ Yeo Wei Wei, Cheong Soo Pieng: Visions of South East Asia, The National Art Gallery, Singapore 2010, P. 92

² Yeo Wei Wei, Cheong Soo Pieng: Visions of South East Asia, The National Art Gallery, Singapore 2010, P. 143

³ Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Soo Pieng, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, 2013, P. 26

⁴ Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Soo Pieng, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, 2013, P. 29

⁵ Yeo Wei Wei, Cheong Soo Pieng: Visions of South East Asia, The National Art Gallery, Singapore 2010, P. 93

⁶ Yeo Wei Wei, Cheong Soo Pieng: Visions of South East Asia, The National Art Gallery, Singapore 2010, P. 85

⁷ Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Soo Pieng, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, 2013, P. 21