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Southeast Asian Modern & Contemporary Art

Next Lot

Chen Chong Swee (1910-1985) Untitled (Kampung Woman) image 1

Lot 1

Chen Chong Swee
(1910-1985)
Untitled (Kampung Woman)

6 October 2020, 14:00 HKT

Hong Kong, Six Pacific Place

Sold for HK$88,125 inc. premium

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Chen Chong Swee (1910-1985)

Untitled (Kampung Woman)
circa 1950s

inscribed and stamped with artist's seal
ink and colour on paper

83 by 40 cm.
32 7/8 by 15 6/8 in.

Footnotes

Provenance
Private Singaporean Collection

Literature
Composition Pte Limited, Reminiscence of Singapore's Pioneer Art Masters: Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi, Liu Kang: 28 October to 28 December 2018, Singapore 2018, unpaginated, illustrated in colour

*Please note that this lot is located in Singapore. Buyer is responsible to arrange shipping from present location of lot to buyer's desired destination. To enquire shipping quote, please contact singapore@bonhams.com

The journey to Bali undertaken in 1952 by Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng, Liu Kang, and Chen Chong Swee represents a seminal moment in the history of Singaporean modern art. From this year, Chen Chong Swee (1910-1986) started to incorporate more local subjects into his works, pioneering the creation of a distinct Nanyang artistic language.

The artist vividly depicts a daily life image, a loving scene of motherhood in a village setting. However, Chen's brush transforms this mundane scene into a poetic composition where the viewer is encouraged to be silent as the mother rocks her baby to sleep. Her large bare feet are placed in a conflicting position to the baby's tiny foot wrapped firmly around her hip.

The documentary aspect of this painting and its colourful charm embodies the aesthetics that Chen pursued in his art—truth, goodness, and beauty.

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- Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art

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