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. A key element of the Nanyang Style was the synthesis of Chinese pictorial elements and the diverse formalistic qualities from the School of Paris. ‘(Untitled) Imaginary Landscape’ continues Cheong’s take on the landscape genre. Landscape painting is highly regarded in Chinese culture and it sometimes expouses a back-to-nature attitude, while at other times envisions a utopian retreat against politicking governments. Cheong’s fresh outlook therefore situates the landscape itself as a potent expression of thought.
