Tan Siah Kwee is an important figure in Singapore’s calligraphy scene. Besides being the founding president of the Chinese Calligraphy Society of Singapore, Tan has taught art at local institutions such as the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and the National University of Singapore. His interest in Chinese calligraphy derived from his time at Kong Hwa Primary School, where he became fascinated by how lines and rhythms embodied meaning and expression. Although he was exposed to several calligraphy styles, he prefers writing in semi-cursive and cursive scripts and has dedicated his career to mastering these scripts.
Tan writes the poem “Picking Mulberries: The Great Sunset on the West Lake [采桑子·残霞夕照西湖好]” by Ouyang Xiu, a Chinese scholar from the Song dynasty. It reveals the beauty of nature at sunset, where the sea glows orange while the moon shows itself in the evening sky. Tan employs the semi-cursive script in this calligraphy, using rounder and softer characters to mimic feelings of liveliness that complement the poem’s spirit.
