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. Cheong’s art is also closely linked with his travels–the much-heralded Bali trip (1952), Sarawak (1959), London and Europe (1961-1963). These sojourns not only provided inspiration but also consolidated his worldview in art-making.Cheong’s trips to Bali and Sarawak are akin to an anthropologist or a sociologist, researching into the particularities of a certain community and its members’ behaviours and tendencies. This detailed drawing of an altar again shows his acute observation skills in capturing the sensitivities of a particular environment.
