Born in Singapore in 1947, Poon Lian graduated from NAFA in 1969 and majored in Western Painting. He learnt Chinese ink painting under pioneer artist Chen Wen Hsi and is adept at Western and Chinese painting techniques. While running his own business, Poon Lian contributed to NAFA in various capacities as an alumnus and continued his art practice. He retired in 2003 and became a full-time artist to paint and travel. In 2020, he was named the Ngee Ann Artist of the Year for his achievements and contribution to the local artist community.

Influenced by his peers and teachers at NAFA, Poon Lian enjoys sojourns around Southeast Asia and regions in Nepal, Taiwan, and China to capture landscapes and imbibe the daily rhythms of life in his paintings. Evening Sunlight at Tulin depicts a sunset against the backdrop of jagged mountains and animals on the lush green plain. Tulin, or ‘Earth Forest’, is an ancient land mass in Yuanmou county in Yunnan province, China. Covering an area of about 50 sq km, striated rock surfaces and clay pillars rise from flat plains, forming immense topographical formations after many years—it is a site that attests to a history long before our time. The work reveals Poon Lian’s sensitivity to light and his penchant for capturing geological formations.