(Untitled) Old Woman Weaving Baskets

Cheong Soo Pieng (1917-1983) is regarded as a pivotal figure in Singapore'�s modern art development. Born in Xiamen, China, 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 (Old Woman Weaving Baskets)'� is thought to be sketched during Cheong'�s return-trip to Bali in 1977. In search of new ways to represent Balinese figures, the lines depicting the woman are more lyrical and stylized compared to his earlier figures in the 1950s. Noted by scholars, the distinctive elongated limbs are inspired from Cheong'�s interest in wayang kulit puppets and Javanese dancers.