School Canteen

Chen Chong Swee, School Canteen, undated, watercolour on paper, 27 x 37 cm, collection of National Heritage Board

Born in Guangdong Province of China, Chen Chong Swee came to Singapore in 1931 after graduating from the Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai. He co-founded the Salon Art Society (now the Singapore Society of Chinese Artists) in 1935 and was a teacher with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for over 20 years.

One of the pioneer artists instrumental in developing the Nanyang Style, Chen pioneered attempts to interpret local landscapes according to the Chinese concept of pictorial composition with Western watercolour techniques.