Cheah Thien Soong
Encyclopedia
Dr. Cheah Thien Soong (born 1942, Negeri Sembilan
, Malaya
) is a renowned contemporary ink-painting artist in Malaysia. Cheah is considered the second generation of Nanyang-style contemporary ink-painting artist. He graduated from Chung Hua High School in Seremban, Malaysia in 1959 before proceeding to Singapore
's Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
. There, he studied both Chinese and Western painting under the tutelage of artists such as Chen Wen Xi, Choong Soo Peng, Chen Zhong Rui, Shi Xiang Tuo, and Georgette Chen
. He held his first exhibitions in 1962, and has since won a number of awards from art institutes in Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. His paintings often include trees. From 1990 to 2002, he served as a lecturer at the Malaysia Institute of Art in Kuala Lumpur
; he also returned to his hometown to found the Seremban Institute of Art. He received his doctorate from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
in 2002. As a result of a trip he took to Jiangxi
in 2003, he has branched out from canvas and taken up the challenge of painting on porcelain, creating works with Malaysian subjects painted onto Jingdezhen
clay.
Cheah has two younger brothers, who both live in Guangxi
, China
; since 1991, he has gone to Guangxi every two or three years to visit them.
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan, one of the 13 states that constitutes Malaysia, lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur and borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the south....
, Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
) is a renowned contemporary ink-painting artist in Malaysia. Cheah is considered the second generation of Nanyang-style contemporary ink-painting artist. He graduated from Chung Hua High School in Seremban, Malaysia in 1959 before proceeding to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and most established tertiary arts institution in Singapore....
. There, he studied both Chinese and Western painting under the tutelage of artists such as Chen Wen Xi, Choong Soo Peng, Chen Zhong Rui, Shi Xiang Tuo, and Georgette Chen
Georgette Chen
Georgette Chen, born Chang Li Ying is a Singapore painter known for her Post-Impressionistic styled oil paintings at the turn of the 20th-century. She was a forerunner of the visual arts in Singapore, who contributed to the birth of the Nanyang art style in Singapore.Chen was born the fourth of 12...
. He held his first exhibitions in 1962, and has since won a number of awards from art institutes in Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. His paintings often include trees. From 1990 to 2002, he served as a lecturer at the Malaysia Institute of Art in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
; he also returned to his hometown to found the Seremban Institute of Art. He received his doctorate from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
The Inter American University of Puerto Rico —or Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico in Spanish, and often referred as "Inter"— is a private university system in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1912 in San German, Puerto Rico. The University has campuses in Aguadilla, Arecibo, Barranquitas,...
in 2002. As a result of a trip he took to Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
in 2003, he has branched out from canvas and taken up the challenge of painting on porcelain, creating works with Malaysian subjects painted onto Jingdezhen
Jingdezhen
Jingdezhen , is a prefecture-level city, previously a town, in Jiangxi Province, China, with a total population of 1,554,000 . It is known as the "Porcelain Capital" because it has been producing quality pottery for 1700 years. The city has a well-documented history that stretches back over 2000...
clay.
Cheah has two younger brothers, who both live in Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
; since 1991, he has gone to Guangxi every two or three years to visit them.