{"title":"Cheong Soo Pieng","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eOriginal works by Cheong Soo Pieng 钟泗宾 (1917–1983), trailblazing Singaporean modernist who fused Eastern and Western art traditions. Available on Art Again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"cheong-soo-pieng-untitled-after-jmw-turner-1962","title":"Cheong Soo Pieng, Untitled (After JMW Turner), 1962","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eInk on paper\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e16 x 23 cm (visible), 31 x 39 x 2 cm (framed)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb id=\"docs-internal-guid-5e474dc4-7fff-87ae-2732-a8dea86c69ac\"\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eCondition: Very good\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;\" class=\"\"\u003e-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBorn in Xiamen, China, Cheong Soo Pieng (Singaporean, 1917–1983) was a trailblazing artist whose innovative approach reshaped traditional Chinese painting. He studied Chinese ink painting at the Xiamen Academy of Fine Arts and expanded his repertoire at the Xin Hua Academy of Fine Arts in Shanghai, where he embraced Western artistic concepts. By the time he migrated to Singapore in 1946, Cheong had mastered both Chinese and Western painting traditions. In Singapore, he found artistic freedom, inspiring him to break traditional boundaries and explore uncharted creative territories - pioneering what is now known as the Nanyang Style.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe works Cheong produced and displayed during his European sojourn in the early 1960s embody a cohesive aesthetic: masterful abstract landscapes infused with calligraphic intensity. Cheong consistently explored the meeting of earth and sky, often framing a rising or setting sun—symbols of cyclical birth and life—within his compositions.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLike other works of this period, Untitled (After JMW Turner) (1962) depicts a landscape composition; with powerful surges of the brush creating a dense black mass to represent the sky and other distant landforms. The dynamic, almost turbulent nature of the centrifugal details creates a powerful force within the work, liken to how the English painter, Turner, executed his paintings. It recalls the essence of Chinese calligraphy, in which the motion and life energy of the painter is imbued into the actual composition through deeply gestural strokes and the rapid laying of paint. A perfect representation of Cheong's endeavours during his European sojourn. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(Photographed in January 2025)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Art Again","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51836827828589,"sku":null,"price":16000.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0889\/4159\/2941\/files\/DSC04339-2_b4c25bd3-2b6a-4f8d-86c7-ad44c56e8e75.jpg?v=1741935347"},{"product_id":"cheong-soo-pieng-untitled-fishing-village-1961","title":"Cheong Soo Pieng, Untitled (Fishing Village), 1961","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIndian ink and colour on paper\u003cbr\u003e40 x 62 cm (visible), 64 x 84 x 3.5 cm (framed)\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Very good, with foxing on the top right section of the work. The backboard of the frame has come loose, and reframing is advised.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e-\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCheong Soo Pieng \u003cspan\u003e钟泗宾 \u003c\/span\u003e(Singaporean, 1917-1983), born in Xiamen, China, was a trailblazing artist whose innovative approach reshaped traditional Chinese painting. He studied Chinese ink painting at the Xiamen Academy of Fine Arts and expanded his repertoire at the Xin Hua Academy of Fine Arts in Shanghai, where he embraced Western artistic concepts. By the time he migrated to Singapore in 1946, Cheong had mastered both Chinese and Western painting traditions. In Singapore, he found artistic freedom, inspiring him to break traditional boundaries and explore unchartered creative territories. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA pivotal moment in Cheong’s career came during his European tour, under the patronage of Singaporean filmmaking magnate Loke Wan Tho. This journey, which included exhibitions in London, Dublin, Berlin and Munich, exposed Cheong to Europe’s dynamic art scene in the early 1960s. Immersed in the works of luminaries such as Paul Klee, Matisse, and Kandinsky, he was inspired to experiment with abstraction and modernism while maintaining his Chinese artistic roots. This transformative experience influenced him to fuse Eastern and Western elements, resulting in a distinct style that pushed the boundaries of modern art in Asia. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs a result, Cheong’s work reflected more interest in experimental formats and in the modernist interplay between abstraction and representation. In Untitled (Fishing Village), he uniquely configures the subject of the fishing village through his own unique abstract perspective. The fishing village was a subject common amongst members of the Ten Men Art Group like Cheong and his peers like Lim Tze Peng and Chen Chong Swee. The group would often travel on sketching trips to fishing villages in Terengganu, Kelantan and Kukup. “Ane tu xi ane”, or “this is how things are”, as Soo Pieng would often remind his students at NAFA, Untitled (Fishing Village) reinforces his belief in looking and expressing subjects in one’s own unique way. In Untitled (Fishing Village), Cheong bridges worlds, combining Chinese art concepts with Western approaches to create a distinctive work that embodied his personal journey and artistic liberation while abroad.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcquired from a dealer at Tanglin Shopping Centre.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(Photographed in November 2025)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Art Again","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52774055575917,"sku":null,"price":35000.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0889\/4159\/2941\/files\/DSC03413.jpg?v=1764728703"}],"url":"https:\/\/artagain.co\/collections\/cheong-soo-pieng.oembed","provider":"Art Again","version":"1.0","type":"link"}