Tan Chin Boon
BORN: 1953
HOMETOWN: CHINA
Tan Chin Boon is a Singaporean painter, seal carver, and member of the Singapore Siaw-Tao Chinese Seal-Carving Calligraphy & Painting Society. Born in Nan’an, Fujian in 1953, Tan Chin Boon graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1972, where he learnt under the pioneer artists Chen Chong Swee, See Hiang Toh and others. Since then, he began an art journey dedicated to Chinese ink painting and seal-carving.
Tan Chin Boon’s ink paintings demonstrate skilled mastery of the traditional Chinese ink medium, and a strong personal style which conveys a sense of inner peace and tranquility, alongside bold modern compositions. Playing with the concept of negative space, Tan demonstrates his strong command of the xieyi style of painting, exuding elegance in simplicity and leaving the audience space for imagination.
Tan Chin Boon has practiced seal carving for many years. His seal prints are very lively, exploring humour, sarcasm and wit. His recent creations: “Kopi-o Kosong”, “Kosong”, and “Tak Boleh Tahan” explore the Nanyang flavour while other works such as “Sunflowers”, “Thousands of Miles of Yunshan” and “Shameless” are Tan’s response to current events.
Tan’s ink paintings and seal carving works are well-loved and collected by local collectors. As an acclaimed artist with a slew of successful exhibitions under his belt, he has also published 3 series of books titled, “Heartless Engraving – Tan Chin Boon Engraving” Collections I, II and III, from 2012 to 2018 respectfully.