When poetry melds with calligraphy

HE may not be a household name, but Fan Chang Tien not only painted with the best of the Nanyang artists, he was also a strong influence on the later generation of Chinese ink artists.

Fan was a contemporary of Chen Wen Hsi, Liu Kang, Cheong Soo Pieng and Georgette Chen, but never quite became as well known as they did, says art curator and gallerist Iola Liu. That was because Fan hardly sold his paintings commercially, choosing to donate most of them to charity. So his works rarely come up in art auctions or other art markets. He also had one patron who collected most of his works.

"Because he came from a wealthy background, he didn't have to sell his works for a living," explains Ms Liu. But he was passionate about painting, and taught and mentored a generation of Chinese ink artists in Singapore - many of whom remember him fondly.

Ms Liu, 23, decided to hold an exhibition of Fan's works after interviewing a number of Fan's former students. This is her second exhibition after she opened her own gallery, Asia Art Collective, earlier in July.

Ms Liu first learnt about the Chinese ink artist as a teacher - of acclaimed artists such as the late Chua Ek Kay and Chen Kezhan. His other well-regarded students include Ling Cher Eng, Lim Kay Hiong, Nai Swee Leng, Tan Oe Pang and Lee Soo Chee.

"I was curious to learn more about him," she shares. "I always like talking to older Singaporean artists and hearing their stories because of their commitment and dedication to art." Ms Liu father is the acclaimed Chinese ink artist Liu Guo, who made Singapore his home in 1996, following an invitation from the Singapore government.

"Fan's students like Lee Soo Chee, Nai Swee Leng, Lim Kay Hiong expressed gratitude to their teacher, not only for their skills, but also how he inspired them with his simple philosophy of life, and his upright and righteous character," shares Ms Liu.

Besides teaching, Fan headed the Hwa Han Art Society when it was formed in the early 1970s. The society held group shows and also solo exhibitions of Fan's works in various venues including the National Museum.

When Fan passed on in 1989, the National Museum Art Gallery held a retrospective of his works featuring more than 100 of them. In 1993, Fan's family donated 50 paintings to the National Museum. The last exhibition of works was held by the Singapore Art Museum, in 1998, which also showcased the works of his students.

Ms Liu's idea of a solo exhibition on Fan's works now is to allow the public to be exposed again to his paintings and poetry. More than 20 works of different subjects and themes will be shown, loaned mainly from his students.

"Although Chinese ink paintings could be seen as very traditional, the modern Shanghai "Xieyi" style is very well executed in his paintings. There is a fusion of poetry and calligraphy with the painting," describes Ms Liu, who had worked in a contemporary Chinese art gallery and a local auction house before setting up her own gallery.

The composition of Chinese poetry with painting is a talent and practice that's now getting rarer, she points out. Works in this exhibition will range from S$3,800 to S$14,800.

Asia Art Collective's exhibition on Fan Chang Tien will be held from Nov 9-30 at 19 Tanglin Road #03-42, Tanglin Shopping Centre. Call 6733-2155

Mentored by Shanghai greats

Fan Chang Tien (1907-1987) was born to a wealthy Teochew family in Guangdong. Since young, he was deeply inspired by the literary Chinese tradition and was well-versed in the Chinese schools of philosophy, identifying himself with Confucianism.

Fan studied in the Shanghai Xin Hua Art College and then in the Shanghai Changming Academy of Art. He was mentored by the finest artists in Shanghai - Wang Geyi, Wang Yiting, Zhu Wenyun and Pan Tianshou - who were outstanding disciples of the grandmaster of the Shanghai School of Painting, Wu Changshuo.

The Shanghai School of Painting as inherited by Fan carries an expressive style characterised by powerful yet controlled brushworks and vibrant colours and sharp contrasts - derived from the fusion of Eastern and Western influences of Shanghai society in the 1900s.

When Fan moved to Singapore in 1956, he was already an accomplished artist. He had also worked in Hong Kong and Bangkok as an art educator and artist. When he was in Singapore, Fan taught for a short while in Chung Cheng High School and in Whampoa Secondary School.

From 1960, Fan began teaching and mentoring groups of students from home.

Fan's oeuvre of painting consists of a diverse array of subjects. His favourite subjects are from nature - bamboo and orchids, mountain birds and eagles, the lotus flower and plum blossoms - each symbolising ideologies and philosophies which he identified with. Fan painted in the "Xieyi" style, which is essentially a carefree and expressive painting style that conveys meaning.

Fan often signed his paintings as "??" , or "the gardener", and saw his ink and brush as his gardening tools and his paintings, the plants.

- By CHEAH UI-HOON