Born in 1933 in Singapore, Tan Choo Kuan was trained in Western Art at Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. A dedicated art teacher and prolific artist, Tan’s legacy was recognised in October 2005 with the Singapore Art Museum’s acquisition of 74 select sketches and drawings on paper completed between 1953 and 2005.Whereas most travellers record the sites with a camera, Tan is noted for his snapshot sketches. For this work, Tan has taken more time to capture in greater detail the likeness of Casa Loma or “house on the hill” and its Toronto setting, complete with the Canadian flag flapping in the wind and perhaps Canadian geese flying overhead in typical v-formation. This drawing is only one of a few examples in the collection of Tan’s drawings where architecture is the focus of his attention. Casa Loma was built during 1911-14 by prominent Toronto financier Sir Henry Pellatt.
