Cheong Soo Pieng
Encyclopedia
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
in visual art in the early 20th-century Singapore. He was also known for his signature depiction of Southeast Asian indigenous tribal people with elongated limbs and torso, almond-shaped faces and eyes in his paintings.
, China
. His parents were neutral to his choice of education, when Cheong took to studying art at in 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 China for Hong Kong
and relocated to Singapore in late 1946 where he would be a lecturer at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
for the next 20 years.
In 1955 Cheong Soo Pieng, along with five other artists Chen Wen Hsi
, Chen Chong Swee, 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. In 1962, the Government of Singapore awarded Cheong Soo Pieng the Meritorious Service Medal
. Cheong died on July 1, 1983 due to heart failure.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
who was a pioneer of the Nanyang art style, and a driving force to the development of Modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
in visual art in the early 20th-century Singapore. He was also known for his signature depiction of Southeast Asian 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 AmoyAmoy
Xiamen, or Amoy, is a city on the southeast coast of China.Amoy may also refer to:*Amoy dialect, a dialect of the Hokkien lects, which are part of the Southern Min group of Chinese languages...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. His parents were neutral to his choice of education, when Cheong took to studying art at in the Xiamen Academy of Fine Art in 1933. In 1936 Cheong graduated and attended Xinhua Academy of Fine Art in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
for further studies, only to have his education cut short with the breakout of the Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
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 China for Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
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
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and most established tertiary arts institution in Singapore....
for the next 20 years.
In 1955 Cheong Soo Pieng, along with five other artists Chen Wen Hsi
Chen Wen Hsi
Chen Wen Hsi , is one of Singapore's pioneer artists, known for his avant-garde Chinese paintings.He was born in Baigong in Guangdong province, and had his early education at Chen Li Primary School and St...
, Chen Chong Swee, Lim Hak Tai
Lim Hak Tai
Lim Hak Tai was one of Singapore's pioneer artist at the turn of the 20th century, and was the person who inspired the Nanyang School of art form, to reflect the 'Nanyang' region, both in painting style and subject matter....
, 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. In 1962, the Government of Singapore awarded Cheong Soo Pieng the Meritorious Service Medal
Pingat Jasa Gemilang
The Pingat Jasa Gemilang , instituted in Singapore in 1962. The Medal may be awarded to any person who has performed service of conspicuous merit characterised by resource and devotion to duty, including long service marked by exceptional ability, merit and exemplary conduct within Singapore...
. Cheong died on July 1, 1983 due to heart failure.
See also
- Chen Wen HsiChen Wen HsiChen Wen Hsi , is one of Singapore's pioneer artists, known for his avant-garde Chinese paintings.He was born in Baigong in Guangdong province, and had his early education at Chen Li Primary School and St...
- Chen Chong SweeChen Chong SweeChen Chong Swee is 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...
- Georgette ChenGeorgette ChenGeorgette Chen, born Chang Li Ying is a Singapore painter known for her Post-Impressionistic styled oil paintings at the turn of the 20th-century. She was a forerunner of the visual arts in Singapore, who contributed to the birth of the Nanyang art style in Singapore.Chen was born the fourth of 12...
- Lim Hak TaiLim Hak TaiLim Hak Tai was one of Singapore's pioneer artist at the turn of the 20th century, and was the person who inspired the Nanyang School of art form, to reflect the 'Nanyang' region, both in painting style and subject matter....
- Liu KangLiu Kang (artist)Liu Kang was a Singaporean artist famous for his Balinese-themed figurative paintings. He was a founding member of the Singapore Art Society, and was credited with developing the Nanyang style....
External links and further reading
- Biotech website
- "In Art Exhibit, Singapore Honors a Son of China" article by Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop in The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
October 6, 2010