Footnotes

Provenance
Acquired in Singapore in the late 1960s by the grandfather of the present owner.
Thence in the family by descent.
Private collection, US

鍾泗濱
母與子
油彩 畫布
1965年作

簽名: 亖賓（右）、SOO PIENG 65（背）

來源
現藏家外祖父於1960年代晚期得自新加坡
後經家族流傳至今
美國私人收藏


Created two years after Cheong Soo Pieng's return from a formative European tour, Maternity (1965) is a quiet, intimate scene. The minimal background, painted in muted earth tones, draws the viewer's attention to the figures. A mother sits calmly and steadily on the floor beside a cradle, while the child lies peacefully beside her, suggesting a moment of maternal care and serenity.

The subject of motherhood has long occupied a central place in Western art. From sacred Renaissance art depicting the Madonna and Child to the tender domestic scenes of Mary Cassatt in the 19th century, motherhood has been portrayed as both divine and deeply human. Such works frequently emphasise the emotional bond between mother and child through composition, gesture and gaze, conveying intimacy and care. While Maternity resonates with this tradition, the artist's eclectic approach expresses a Southeast Asian sensibility.

The delineation of elongated limbs and figures with simplified forms, reminiscent of wayang kulit (shadow puppets), is a hallmark of Soo Pieng's oeuvre. The red pendant around the mother's neck, known as buah kabo, is native to the Dayaks in Borneo. The formal elements of this painting are further enriched by Soo Pieng's exposure to European modernism. The influence of Amedeo Modigliani is evident: the slender, elongated body of the mother and her almond-shaped eyes recall Modigliani's portraits. However, the woman's face is deliberately obscured, which universalises the subject and shifts the viewer's focus to the symbolic and compositional elements rather than to individual identity.

In this vein, Maternity becomes a site of cultural synthesis, where East and West, tradition and innovation converge. It not only offers a meditation on motherhood but also combines Southeast Asian cultural themes with modernist aesthetics, demonstrating a masterful expression of Soo Pieng's mature Nanyang Style.