Page 109 - The Pioneers, November 26, 2016 Hong Kong

Singapore market scene
新加坡市集一景

along the shore in the upper left background. Making its way towards us Cheong Soo Pieng, Chinatown Scene, circa
down the centre of the composition is a festive Malay procession marked by
the festive bunga manggar (decorative props unique to Southeast Asia) the 1970s, Private Collection, Singapore
distinctive black songkok caps worn by the men and the flowing baju kurung 鍾泗賓 《牛車水風光》 約1970 新加坡私人收藏
of the women – together a testament to Cheong's deep understanding of the
material signifiers of the culture.

Cheong also had a defined understanding of the architectural landscape
of Singapore as seen from the uneven peaks of buildings that make up the
skyline in the composition. Moving from the attap roofs of the kampong huts
in the left to the glittering spires of the mosque and the ordered colonial
structures in the right, Cheong perfectly captures the key physical landmarks
that continue to define Singapore – a sensitivity seen also in the paper work
Landmarks of Singapore (1968). Indeed, the depiction and celebration of
Malay culture as well is a theme Cheong had been drawn to since his early
days in Singapore. The resplendent mural-sized work Malayan Scenery (1955)
commissioned by his patron Dato' Loke Wan Tho under Cathay Organisation
can be said to be an earlier iteration of the scene, with the present work
Kampong Sprit being a reimagining of a beloved theme within a new medium
– bringing familiar characters and scenes into a new perspective.

Having fully embraced his identity as a Southeast Asian artist based in
Singapore, Cheong retained until the end of his life, a dedication to the search
for the best means through which to capture the peoples and landscapes
of the region through his art. An exceptionally rare and important work in
Cheong's diverse oeuvre, Kampong Spirit, can be understood as a culmination
of Cheong's immense respect and understanding of the rich cultural milieu in
Southeast Asia.

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