Born in 1942 in China, Tan Choh Tee graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore in 1962. He worked as a designer between 1963 and 1976 before becoming a professional artist. Noted for his depictions of Singapore’s urban landscape, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion by the Singapore government in 2006. Tan has exhibited in China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Germany.Tan, who favours painting on the spot as it allows him to respond to the visual stimuli of a site, uses his hallmark short palette knife strokes to produce an impressionistic depiction of a sidelane. The shady lane however is not the only area of interest; but the hot tropical atmosphere which is suggested by the sharp light on the building walls, sunlit street and bright blue sky. Mustafa is a popular shopping centre in Little India, Singapore.
