Lights, Polish, Stitch: Behind ‘Cheong Soo Pieng: Layer by Layer’
Art conservation with BARC Labs
By Keziah Lim
This article is a part of CHECK-IN 2024, our annual publication, which comes in at 313 pages this year. You can buy a limited-edition print copy at SGD38 here.
‘Cheong Soo Pieng: Layer by Layer’ is the first exhibition project by Beneath Art Research and Conservation Labs (BARC Labs), in collaboration with the National Gallery Singapore (NGS) and the Heritage Conservation Centre (HCC). The exhibition focuses on the pioneering artist and his experimental approaches in art-making. Featuring works across Cheong’s oeuvre, it delves into his practice through the exploration of his materials and techniques. It builds upon research on Cheong's works by Mar Gomez Lobon that began in 2010 for 'Cheong Soo Pieng: Bridging Worlds', the artist's last solo exhibition at NGS before our current project.
Inside the studio space of BARC Labs. Image courtesy of BARC Labs.
BARC Labs Founder, Dr Diana Tay, conducted her PhD research on Cheong at University of Melbourne from 2018 to 2022 with support from a local private collector who saw the value in conservation research outside of institutions. She then established BARC Labs in 2022, after returning to Singapore. Diana was soon put in touch with NGS curator Teo Hui Min and their discussions to further the research on Cheong culminated in this exhibition.
With BARC Labs as the primary researcher for this exhibition, the focus has been on providing research, technical examination, and analyses of Cheong’s works in the national collection utilising the data collection methodologies. While the common perception may be that conservation is solely about treating damaged paintings, it extends beyond those boundaries. It can also provide new perspectives on a piece of art, which could spearhead the direction of an exhibition.
“While the common perception may be that conservation is solely about treating damaged paintings, it extends beyond those boundaries. It can also provide new perspectives on a piece of art, which could spearhead the direction of an exhibition.”
As a new conservator to the field, I was eager to participate in any research project during my internship at HCC in 2023. One of my supervisors, Mar Cusso, was helming this collaboration with Diana and assigned me to work on this alongside them. That was when I met Diana for the first time, and it felt like I was meeting a superstar from the conservation industry. After my internship at HCC concluded, Diana brought me onboard to continue the project with BARC Labs. It has been an amazing opportunity to see it through till the end.
A standard set-up for technical photography. The equipment involves an easel to prop the painting; LED, halogen or UV lamps; and a tripod and camera. Image courtesy of BARC Labs.
Discovering the layers of a painting
The first step was to photograph Cheong’s work under various lighting conditions such as visible light, ultraviolet light and infrared light. Technical photography reveals areas or layers on a painting that cannot be seen by the naked eye because the eye is only sensitive to light frequencies between 400 and 700 nanometers. Visual examination is exciting because we never know what is beneath the surface. Could there be evidence of the artist’s sketch work? Could there be another painting beneath what is visible on the surface?
Infrared photography will offer an insight to these questions. By photographing the painting using a modified digital camera, various lens filters and halogen lamps, the digital image captures the layers underneath the paint surface. Infrared photographs of Cheong’s ‘Life in Longhouse’ (1980) revealed an underdrawing, showing how he planned his compositions and made subtle changes which led to the finished painting. This is consistent with paintings from Cheong’s earlier periods, which similarly, had underdrawings. Thus, we know that sketching is ingrained in the artist’s methodology. In ‘Layer by Layer’, this research is presented alongside the original painting to show Cheong’s artistic process.
Reviewing a paint sample taken from ‘Horse Carriage’ (1979) under a microscope in preparation for a crosssection. Image courtesy of BARC Labs.
One of the most memorable parts of the project has been the processing of cross-section samples of the paintings analysed. Cross-sections are created by taking a tiny sample—even smaller than a tip of a pencil lead—from an area on the painting, where it would ideally be representative of all layers of the artwork. The sample is then embedded in a resin before it is polished to reveal the underlying layers of a painting.
A microscopic analysis of the sample from ‘At the Market’ (1964) shows a white ground layer followed by various shades of orange. The clear distinction between two layers suggests Cheong used a wet-on-dry painting technique when creating this painting. The ability to understand how he applied each layer of paint has been fascinating to me as it provided a clear visual representation of his artistic process.
Radiographers from Singapore General Hospital and art handlers positioning ‘In a Balinese Village’ for an X-ray. Image courtesy of BARC Labs, the Heritage Conservation Centre (a division of the National Heritage Board, Singapore) and National Gallery Singapore.
Reviewing the X-ray images with the radiographers. Image courtesy of BARC Labs, the Heritage Conservation Centre (a division of the National Heritage Board, Singapore) and National Gallery Singapore.
X-rays are also used, alongside infrared photography, to provide further insights on what lies underneath the final paint layer as it is able to capture the construction and density of the materials. By October 2023, selected paintings had been sent to the Singapore General Hospital for an X-ray imaging scan. Since the paintings were larger than a human torso, several image scans had to be taken and then stitched together to form the full image.
'Cheong Soo Pieng: Layer by Layer', 2024, exhibition view at National Gallery Singapore. Image courtesy of National Gallery Singapore.
As I pieced the X-ray scans together, I tried to look for any brushstrokes or imagery that deviated from the final painting. It was exciting to discover alongside Diana and Hui Min that the X-ray image of ‘Young Girl’ (1948) had a completely different initial composition. It appeared that Cheong had initially composed the painting in a portrait orientation but the final image is in a landscape orientation. This allowed Cheong to include additional elements such as the vase and table in the background, creating a composition that is less tightly cropped.
Diana and Keziah inside the space of 'Cheong Soo Pieng: Layer by Layer'. Image courtesy of BARC Labs.
This collaboration has given BARC Labs the opportunity to share our research, and also illustrate how conservation has utility beyond restoration. Conservation research techniques can allow curators and viewers to admire paintings in a different light with a focus on the material, technical and artistic procesess.
“Conservation research techniques can allow curators and viewers to admire paintings in a different light with a focus on the material, technical and artistic procesess.”
Additionally, as education is a big component of BARC Labs’ mission, we have been able to create an educational workshop for school groups to create their own artworks and put them through the infrared imaging process, giving them some insight into the role of a conservator. We hope to share that preservation and conservation of artworks can begin at any age, by spreading awareness of proper art care.
‘Cheong Soo Pieng: Layer by Layer’ is on view from 5 April to 24 November 2024 at National Gallery Singapore.
This article is a part of CHECK-IN 2024, our annual publication, which comes in at 313 pages this year. You can buy a limited-edition print copy at SGD38 here.
About the Writer
Keziah Lim is a paintings conservator at BARC Labs, a fine art conservation studio in Singapore. Keziah approaches conservation with a concern for the historicity, technicality and materiality of an artwork. Her forward-thinking approach has also led her to think beyond treatments and how conservation can be used in public outreach opportunities and arts education.
