{"product_id":"teng-nee-cheong-untitled-tattoo-man-series-untitled-inv-4178-undated","title":"Teng Nee Cheong, Tattoo-Man Series Untitled in\/V#4(178), Undated","description":"\u003cp\u003eOil and gold leaf on canvas laid on masonite board\u003cbr\u003e130 x 163 cm\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Very good\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCertificate of Authenticity from the Estate of Teng Nee Cheong available.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eWhere Teng Nee Cheong's charcoal studies were drawn from life and stripped to line and gesture, his oils translated the nude into another register entirely: colour, pattern and ornament, the figure set among flowers, fruit and textiles drawn from Balinese mythology, Hinduism and Buddhism. This is the lavish, decorative Teng, the figure worked into a surface of gold and glitter, richly patterned and almost devotional in its density. Though the charcoal drawings fed directly into these paintings, Teng described them as independent works that also served as templates, and where the drawings are quiet and private, the oils are made to dazzle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis more decorative, finished treatment of the nude was also the side of his practice that reached the public. Unlike the drawings, which stayed largely in the studio, these oils were exhibited during his lifetime and entered institutional collections.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTeng Nee Cheong \u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\"\u003e邓尔昌 \u003c\/span\u003e(Singaporean, 1951–2013)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (1966–1968) under the influence of mentors like Georgette Chen and Ng Yat Chuan. Throughout his career, Teng demonstrated mastery across oil, pastel and charcoal, though it is his intimate still lifes that reveal a quieter, more contemplative strand of his practice.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn these early to mid‑career works, Teng imbued everyday produce with both formality and lyricism. Teng’s still lifes occupy an important place within his wider oeuvre, bridging his training in Nanyang figure and local landscape traditions with the more ornate, symbolic narratives he later developed. They demonstrate his capacity for attentive observation and formal refinement, serving as foundational studies in colour, shape and composition. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTeng’s early career laid the groundwork for what would become a highly individual and expressive body of work. In 1978, he received the Ministry of Culture Special Award, marking a moment of national recognition that affirmed his artistic direction. While he would go on to explore identity and queerness in later decades, his earlier works already signalled enduring interests in visual storytelling, ornamentation, and cultural synthesis—elements that would come to define his singular artistic language.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0889\/4159\/2941\/files\/IMG_8785_1.jpg?v=1779976900\" alt=\"\" width=\"509\" height=\"442\" style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eTeng Nee Cheong, \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dd\"\u003eTattoo Series: Tattooed Nocturne Laid Bare, 2008\u003cbr\u003eOil on canvas\u003cbr\u003eCollection of the National Gallery Singapore\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dd\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0889\/4159\/2941\/files\/DSC06073_3.jpg?v=1779976172\" alt=\"\" width=\"509\" height=\"428\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTeng Nee Cheong, Untitled, 2004\u003cbr\u003eCharcoal on paper\u003cbr\u003eCourtesy of the Estate of Teng Nee Cheong\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(Photographed in May 2026)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Art Again","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53377761771885,"sku":null,"price":90000.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0889\/4159\/2941\/files\/6-IMG_8438_1.jpg?v=1779968981","url":"https:\/\/artagain.co\/products\/teng-nee-cheong-untitled-tattoo-man-series-untitled-inv-4178-undated","provider":"Art Again","version":"1.0","type":"link"}