Teng Nee Cheong's drawings Reclining Nude (1997) and Nude Reclining with Balinese Mask (1985) stand as eloquent testaments to his lifelong devotion to the human figure as a site of contemplation, memory, and cultural encounter. Executed in charcoal—with the later work enriched by gold leaf—these drawings reveal an artist deeply attuned to the sensuality of form and the quiet authority of tradition.

In Nude Reclining with Balinese Mask, the body is rendered with remarkable sensitivity: weighty yet fluid, monumental yet intimate. The reclining figure turns away, absorbed in her own interiority, while the Balinese mask (Rangda) emerges as a charged presence rather than a literal prop. It introduces a dialogue between the living body and performative identity—between flesh and symbol. Here, Teng's interest in Southeast Asian cultural motifs is not decorative, but reflective, suggesting how heritage, ritual, and myth hover around contemporary existence.

More than a decade later, Reclining Nude deepens this inquiry. The introduction of gold leaf—fragile, luminous, and historically sacred—elevates the figure into a contemplative space that recalls religious iconography and classical Asian aesthetics. The nude is no longer merely observed; she is revered. The contrast between the soft, vulnerable charcoal body and the fractured brilliance of gold creates a tension between impermanence and transcendence, echoing the artist's concern with time, memory, and the sanctity of the human presence.

Across these two works, Teng Nee Cheong's artistic career reveals a consistent pursuit: the reconciliation of Eastern sensibilities with Western draughtsmanship, and the transformation of the nude from an academic subject into a vessel of cultural and spiritual resonance. His figures do not perform for the viewer; they exist—quiet, self-contained, and enduring. Through restraint and precision, Teng affirms drawing as a profound, contemplative act, capable of holding both intimacy and history within a single, poised gesture.