Poem in Running Script

Collections
1034421
Title
Poem in Running Script
Year/Period
1986
Region
Singapore
Dimension
Image size: H220 x W72 cm (Mount),
Image size: 130 x 61 cm
Accession No.
P-1024
Credit Line
Gift of the artist

Born in China, Tan Siah Kwee (b. 1948) emigrated to Singapore at the age of seven. Having learnt calligraphy in school since young, Tan’s intense interest in Chinese calligraphy led to his founding of the Chinese Calligraphy Society of Singapore in 1969 when he was only 20 years old. He has held the position of president of the society since its inception. In addition to his three solo exhibitions in 1979, 1987 and 2009, Tan is an educator at heart, organizing and giving lectures on Chinese calligraphy. In 2000, Tan was awarded the Cultural Medallion by the Singapore government.Well composed and elegantly written, this calligraphy is executed inrunning script, for which Tan is best known. In this poem, Zhang Xiao Xiang (1132-1169), a poet, politician and calligrapher from the Song dynasty, expresses his loathing of the court politics and his admiration for the beauty of nature.