Image size: H39.3 x W31.1 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. 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) Cubistic Woman’ is an example of how Cheong was influenced by the various modern art movements, in this case, Cubism. In this drawing/sketch done in watercolour, one can see his calculated lines and use of colour which provide entry points into his quest towards finding his own language.
