Frame size: Frame : H170 x W201
Born in 1943 in Indonesia, Tan migrated to Singapore as a child. After graduating from the Nanyang University in Singapore in 1968, he worked at the French Embassy for 24 years before becoming a full-time artist. In 1985, Tan was awarded the Gold Medal of the French Artist Salon and in 1987, the Singapore Cultural Medallion. In 2003, Tan was honoured with the World Economic Forum Crystal Award and Singapore Meritorious Award. In 1993, Tan became the first Singapore artist to have a private museum dedicated to the display of his extensive oeuvre of artistic and literary works. This work is a tribute to 18th century Japanese artist-printmaker, Katsushika Hokusai, who is known for his iconic print ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’. An admirer of Hokusai, Tan feels the artist is the first to be able to depict a large wave beautifully. To create the feel and movement of waves, Tan experimented with different materials before he found success with acrylic. An innovative artist, Tan threw the paint in a controlled manner and splashed water droplets to achieve the effect of curls and foam.
