In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 1917
- Died
- 1983
- Birthplace
- China
- Country
- Singapore
- Nationality
- Not independently established
- Known for
- A Singapore-based artist who joined Chinese painting traditions with modernist experiments and regional subjects.
Why this life matters
A Singapore-based artist who joined Chinese painting traditions with modernist experiments and regional subjects.
Timeline
Key moments
Education and a new setting
Cheong Soo Pieng was born in China in 1917 and trained at the Xiamen Academy of Fine Arts before further study in Shanghai. War interrupted that period. He later moved through Hong Kong and settled in Singapore in 1946. The National Library’s exhibition guide records his teaching at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts from 1947 to 1961. Those moves placed him within a developing art scene whose students and audiences encountered several visual traditions at once.
Sources for this section: [2]
Experiments beyond one style
Cheong’s work is associated with Nanyang art, but the range of his materials is important to understanding that association. The National Gallery’s 2010 exhibition approached his career through artistic process, bringing together finished works, sketches and archival material. Its account emphasised exchanges among Chinese ink painting, Western conventions and Southeast Asian subjects. Teaching and experimentation belonged to the same career. A recognisable approach to figures did not prevent him from testing other media or changing how a picture was constructed.
Sources for this section: [1]
A painting with a second public life
Drying Salted Fish, dated 1978, was made with Chinese ink and colour on cloth. A detail later appeared on Singapore’s fifty-dollar note. That reproduction gave the painting an audience extending far beyond the gallery, while presenting only part of the original object. Cheong died in 1983. His surviving works and the records of how he made them allow a fuller account than the familiar currency image alone. They show an artist working through regional subjects while continually considering the means available to represent them.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Cheong Soo Pieng
- What is Cheong Soo Pieng known for?
- A Singapore-based artist who joined Chinese painting traditions with modernist experiments and regional subjects.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Chua Mia Tee
Compare Chua Mia Tee through the separate biography and evidence-led guide on this artist’s practice.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. National Gallery SingaporeCheong Soo Pieng: Bridging Worlds release
Institutional pages differ on dimensions. Measurements are omitted pending an authoritative object-record reconciliation.
- 2. National Library SingaporeUntold Stories exhibition guide
- 3. National Heritage Board, RootsCheong Soo Pieng: Art and Patronage