Image size: H30.9 x W39.2 cm (Mount)
Cheong Soo Pieng is regarded as a pivotal figure in Singapore’s modern art development. Born in Xiamen (Amoy), China in 1914, he was part of a group of artists that attempted to articulate a style identifiable and pertinent to post-war Singapore, then known collectively with Malaysia, as Malaya. This style, later crystallized as the Nanyang Style, provided a foundation upon which future generations of artists learned and expanded on. In this regard, Cheong’s role as a teacher at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts from 1947-1961 also proved to be significant as many of the ‘second generation’ artists studied under his tutelage.Woodcuts have had a long history in Singapore but it was not until the members of the Equator Art Society began utilizing it more frequently in the 1960s, that the medium became popular. ‘Untitled (Three Goats)’ is however an example of Cheong’s formalistic concerns and his ‘playful’ attitude towards art-making, rather than making a statement on social issues.
