Lee Cheng Yong Retrospective (Curator: Dr Tan Chee Khuan), Penang State Art Gallery, January 20-February 17, 1996 Academician-artist Lee Cheng Yong is arguably the most versatile of the pioneer artists, being adept in a variety of techniques and media including sculpture, his most notable being a bust of the Malaysian First Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rah-man. He was an art teacher and it’s unsurprising that his works tend to be couched in the academic tradition. In Seated Model, he evokes the statuesque quality of a Venus de Milo, painted in full-bodied completeness, with the plinth-like stand. The pale, pearly hues with subtle modulation of form give off a marbling effect.