Lot 338
  • 338

Cheong Soo Pieng

Estimate
140,000 - 250,000 HKD
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Description

  • Cheong Soo Pieng
  • Sister
  • Signed in Chinese and stamped with a seal of the artist
  • Chinese ink and colour on silk pasted on jute
  • Executed in 1982

Provenance

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5 October 2015, Lot 348

Exhibited

Singapore, Art Commune Gallery, Cheong Soo Pieng: Drawings of Life, 31 May - 11 June 2014

Literature

Cheong Soo Pieng: Drawings of Life, Art Commune Gallery, Singapore, 2014, p. 14, colour illustration

Condition

This work is in good overall condition as viewed. Upon very close inspection, there are some faint fox marks on the silk. All other inconsistencies are consistent with the artist's working method. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Boasting extraordinary nuance, the two silk works, Sister and Village Life, are testaments to Cheong Soo Pieng’s artistic innovation.  Silk is a challenging medium demanding a masterful command of the delicate material as well as a technical dexterity in controlling the inks. The rarity of silk paintings among Soo Pieng’s expansive oeuvre makes these two pieces particularly striking, not least because they demonstrate the artist’s remarkable versatility. Bearing all the hallmarks of quintessential Soo Pieng works, the figures are stylized with willowy limbs and exaggerated features. The subject matter of both paintings—village folk decked in traditional outfits surrounded by bucolic surroundings—is characteristic of the artist’s keen interest in the minutiae of quotidian life—birdcages, batik blouses, bamboo huts. For followers of Soo Pieng, Sister and Village Life are unique examples of the pioneer’s love for experimentation and masterful understanding of multiple mediums.