Lot 065
CHEONG SOO PIENG
b. China, 1917-1983
FISHING VILLAGE, 1965
Signed and dated ‘SOO PIENG 65’, signed in
Chinese with seal (lower left)
Ink and colour on rice paper
44.4cm x 92.8cm
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Kuala Lumpur.
ESTIMATE RM 25,000 - 30,000
PRICE REALISED RM 52,800 |
One of the most influential artists in the region, Cheong Soo Pieng depicts a staccato of a rural sea-side settlement. Bold, swift brushstrokes stand out against blotches of ink in this sombre but lively monochrome landscape. Soo Pieng is considered to be the most experimental from his generation of Southeast Asian artists. Using both classical oriental and Western abstraction techniques, the sharpness of the brush creates a grid-like structure depicting a thriving fishing village in the slightly off-centre composition while the lush mountain backdrop is playfully loose with the flow of water and ink. Executed in 1965, it is interesting to note how his landscapes became increasingly abstract after a successful sojourn to Europe from 1961 to 1963 (he held two solo exhibitions in London during that period).
Born in Amoy, China, Soo Pieng received his art education at Xiamen Acadmey of Fine Art in 1933 and continued at Xinhua Academy of Fine Art in Shanghai in 1936. He relocated to Singapore in 1946 where he teached at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for the next 20 years. In 1952, Soo Pieng embarked with three others: Liu Kang, Chen Wen Hsi and Chen Chong Swee to Bali. There he explored the sights and sounds of Southeast Asian surroundings, hence the term Nanyang or South-Seas style. He was honoured with a retrospective exhibition at National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore in 1983 and recently Cheong Soo Pieng: Bridging Worlds at Singapore Art Museum in 2010. To recognise his contribution, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the Government of Singapore in 1962.
REFERENCE
Cheong Soo Pieng: Bridging Worlds, Singapore Art Museum, 2010.
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