Veteran artist lets his art speak for itself

Octogenarian artist Cheong Laitong’s refusal to describe his work has paradoxically proved a blessing.

Even at 82, Cheong Laitong, as an artist, is still hard to pin down.

His paintings have no names and his exhibitions come with nondescript umbrella titles (like «Selected Works/New Works»).

No markers, no labels. Just paintings which became larger and larger through the years and with the inherent elements of colours, forms, tones, lines, composition changing rapidly. If anything, these works are identifiable with Cheong’s strokes.

His works from the 1960s, actually the starting point is 1952, when the Wednesday Art Group (WAG) was formed by Peter Harris, the self-styled superintendent of art of Malayasia, are mostly inspired by nature.

Cheong’s canvas is also notorious for the singular absence of the human form, which is comparable to techniques of Chinese brush paintings.

Art enthusiasts at Cheong’s recent Expression Of 60 Years: An Exhibition Of Selected Works From 1960 to 2013 exhibition at White Box, Publika in Kuala Lumpur must have noted, with a little curiosity, how his works have moved seamlessly and inexorably, instead of evolving, over six decades. Conversations revolved around how these works have remained the same despite the changes at certain points in time, and how they are really different despite a homogenous veneer.

Cheong excelled in the 1960s with broad calligraphic brushstrokes, working with oil on board. The latter part of his art life (after a 33-year hiatus to concentrate on his advertising job) saw the artist opting for muted, broken or thin lines. He also went for streaks, and then blobs, splatters and flicks, the smaller balls like spiky seeds.

His later works with the drips and splashes look like Jackson Pollock in nature, but are actually more Zhang Da-Qian-inspired with his reputed «splash ink.»

Unlike traditional Chinese brush scrolls, Cheong prefers the horizontal format, often with the forms bunched in the centre (in the 1970s and 1980s), but from the 2000s, his works capture a broader expanse with an all-encompassing feel.

Cheong’s exhibition was a celebration which he obviously savoured like an Oscar night with several old faces from the past turning up on the opening day on May 24th. The exhibition was organised by the NN Gallery, Cheong’s sole agent/promoter since 1998.

Veteran artist lets his art speak for itself

Source: thestar.com.my