Cheong Soo Pieng () was a Singaporean artist who was a pioneer of the Nanyang art style, and a driving force to the development of

Modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

in visual art in the early 20th-century Singapore. He was also known for his signature depiction of

Southeast Asian Southeast Asia is the geographical southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Australian mainland, which is part of Oceania. Southeast Asia is ...

indigenous tribal people with elongated limbs and torso, almond-shaped faces and eyes in his paintings.

Early life

Cheong was born the youngest of seven children in

Amoy Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...

, China. His parents were neutral to his choice of education, when Cheong took to studying art at the Xiamen Academy of Fine Art in 1933. In 1936 Cheong graduated and attended Xinhua Academy of Fine Art in Shanghai for further studies, only to have his education cut short with the breakout of the Sino-Japanese War and the school destroyed by Japanese invaders in 1938. Cheong returned to his alma mater to teach art, and pursued his painting passion in watercolours due to scarcity of oil paint materials. In 1942 Cheong held his first solo exhibition of watercolor works. In 1945 Cheong left Mainland China for Hong Kong and relocated to Singapore in late 1946 where he would be a lecturer at the

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA; zh, 南洋艺术学院; ; ) is a publicly-funded post-secondary arts institution in Singapore, and a constituent college of the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS) from 2024. NAFA offers courses at high-s ...

for the next 20 years. In 1955 Cheong Soo Pieng, along with five other artists

Chen Wen Hsi Chen Wen Hsi (; 1906–1991) was a Chinese-born Singaporean artist, known for his avant-garde Chinese paintings. Early life and education Chen was born in Jieyang, Guangdong, China, and had his early education at Chen Li Primary School and St ...

Chen Chong Swee Chen Chong Swee () was a Singaporean watercolourist belonging to the pioneer generation of artists espousing the Nanyang-styled painting unique to Singapore, at the turn of the 20th century. He was also one of the first artists in Singapore to u ...

, Lim Hak Tai, Tay Wee Koh, and Suri bin Mohyani were invited to showcase their artworks in England, funded by fellow artist and arts patron Ho Kok Hoe. The exhibition was officially opened by the

Duchess of Kent Duchess of Kent is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, Duchess of Kent ...

. In 1962, the Government of Singapore awarded Cheong Soo Pieng the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: Singapore *Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Services Me ...

. Cheong died on 1 July 1983 due to

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

Bibliography

*T.Y., S, Y.J. Seng (2019). ''Soo Pieng: Master of Composition'': STPI. * * * * *

References

External links and further reading

Biotech website
article by Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 6 October 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheong Soo Pieng 1917 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Singaporean painters Chinese emigrants to Singapore Singaporean artists Singaporean painters Singaporean people of Hokkien descent

Early life

Bibliography

See also

References

External links and further reading