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. In ‘Sunray is Cold on Green Pines’ the tonal quality of ink is given full play: subtle variations of the translucent washes of ink and pigments create an impression of light breaking through the morning mist; while at the bottom edge of the painting, intense black suggests lofty cliffs from which ancient pine trees cling precariously. The emphasis on the vast sky heightens the sense of awe and a realization of the insignificance of man, creating altogether a spiritually charged painting.
