Poon Lian (1947 - )

67-year-old Poon Lian is a born and bred Singaporean. He was first introduced to art by pioneer artist Chen Wen Hsi, who then taught at Chinese High School. He then enrolled in NAFA and graduated with a Diploma in Western Painting in 1969. During his time at NAFA, he continued his private lessons in Chinese ink painting under Chen. He only pursued his artistic career part-time after graduation but took on various visual arts-related jobs first, in Nanyang Siang Pau and then in printing companies. He also lectured at NAFA between 1972 and 1981, during the academy’s tumultuous times when numerous alumni returned to their alma mater to help sustain the academy’s promotion of fine art in Singapore. He retired from the corporate world in 2003 to immerse himself in his artistic endeavours, and his relentless efforts have been demonstrated through four solo exhibitions and 12 group shows since 2001.

Poon Lian’s passion for fine art was sustained through continual practice in his free time, focusing first on Chinese ink and colour in the early years and then delving into the Western tradition of oils in the new millennium. In 2015, NAFA presented Encounters: Poon Lian, 50 Years of Art, which showcases foundation sketches from the 1960s, explorations in Chinese ink from the 1970s to 1990s and many recent oil paintings. The artist’s repertoire is wide-ranging, varying from academic genres such as portraits and still-lifes to landscapes and everyday life. Influenced by his teachers at NAFA and like many of his peers, Poon Lian enjoys sojourns around the region, such as Malaysia, Bali, Thailand and Cambodia and further abroad to Nepal, Taiwan and China, capturing the scenes and imbibing the daily rhythms of life in his paintings. His subjects are not mere photographic depictions but are canvases for exploration and experimentation in composition, brushwork and colours while displaying his technical capabilities honed from years of practice. Poon Lian’s artworks are a consolidation of his training in both Chinese and Western art as he dips into these two to find his choice rendering for illustrating his observations and experiences.