Frame size: 210.3 x 38.6 cm (M)
Born in Jiangsu, China, to a family of distinguished scholars, Reverend Song Nian (1911-1997), commoner name Song Tiecheng, studied in a private school and practised calligraphy from the tender age of six. At 16, he entered the monastery and shortly after, enrolled in Tsinghua University in 1928 to study literature. A student of famous Jiangnan scholar Xiao Tiu’an and other teachers, Song Nian consolidated what he had learnt and eventually developed an original script, known as the ‘Song Nian Style’. He emigrated to Singapore in 1961 and was the head of Puti Temple. Well-versed in the traditional Chinese art forms, namely poetry, painting, calligraphy and seal-carving, Song Nian was a renowned figure in Singapore’s art scene.A learned scholar of Chinese literature and poetry, Song Nian often gained inspiration from these sources. Written here is a poem by Qing dynasty poet Song Xiang (1757-1826), in the cursive script, widely regarded as the most expressive calligraphic script.
