Born in China in 1949, Tan Kian Por moved to Singapore in 1962. He studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts from 1968 – 1970. His training of Chinese painting and seal-carving was guided by local ink masters, See Hiang To and Chen Cheong Swee. A highly versatile ink painter, Tan is capable of handling varied subject matters ranging from flora, fauna to human figure, with disciplined yet flexible brushwork to serve different pictorial purposes. Produced during the 1980s, this work is representative of Tan’s early artistic achievement, and strongly attests his creativity and technical competence. The work “Life” was painted after the artist's Bali trip in 1982. The painting depicts a female Balinese hawker whose body and head are heaped with many articles of clothing. Her livelihood depends on the sale of these items along the street. Strongly influenced by his teachers, Chen Chong Swee and See Hiang To, the artist injected the realist spirit into the subject of figure painting.
