Artist: Fan Shao Hua (b. 1963)

Mr Fan Shao Hua was born in 1963 in Guangzhou, China. He started Chinese ink painting at a tender age of 10 at the Secondary School of Fine Arts. Subsequently, he graduated from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts.

Besides being the prestigious winner of the ‘Painting of the Year Award’ at the 19th UOB Painting of the Year Competition in 2000 and the International Premium Oil Painting Artist Award in Hong Kong in 2008, Mr Fan has won numerous art awards and held many exhibitions overseas through the years, in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Paris. He is also a member of the Singapore Art Society, the Society of Chinese Artists and the Japan Modern Arts Association. He has been featured in a number of publications such as the Mondial Collections Art in Asia, the Straits Times Singapore, the American International Artist Magazines and Channel News Asia.

As an artist, Mr Fan is constantly experimenting and evolving. He fuses realism with his creative ideas and representational art in his artistic expressions. He generously exploits both the Chinese techniques of ‘ink splash’ and ‘creased paper background’, and the Western tradition of representational art techniques in many of his compositions. His artworks are where East meets West, and this style is constantly brought up by a level in his paintings as he applies it in various ways to different subjects. These can be seen most evidently in “The Landscape” and “The Abstract” series of paintings.

Mr Fan continues to push the boundary of blending Chinese and Western techniques in his art. He gets his inspiration from nature as he strongly believes in the harmonious interactions between man and the unadulterated environment. He devotes considerable time to visit the Chinese countryside and famous mountains like Taishan, Lushan and Huangshan in order to feel connected with nature and gain inspiration for his works.

Togetherness

Joint using four planks, each depicting different parts of the same plant, to form a coherent whole, Togetherness is an oil painting that reminds art appreciators of seeing the big picture in art and in life. In the first and fourth planks, the stalk (干) and leaves (叶) occupy most of the space while in the second and third planks, the flower (花) is the main attraction. Viewed separately, each individual plank while having a coherent subject is slightly monotonous. Yet when pieced together, the overarching theme of unity in the blossoming pink flowers supported by the steady stalk and framed by the ornate brown leaves becomes apparent. 

Mr Fan uses complementary colours of pink, brown, peach, and cream for the adult plants with dabs of green to show budding flowers. This stylist Togetherness piece may be admired from afar as a single picture, or viewed up close to see the layers of artistry in each plank. The artwork’s title directly signifies what the artist wishes for us to take away from his painting, and its theme resonates with viewers in an age of escalating political, racial, and religious tension and polarising views. Like in Togetherness, each divergent view and perspective scratches at different layers or facets of the same issue. Viewed as a whole, the common underlying objective appears to be a thirst and vehement search for the Truth. Tragically, the mysteries and totality of Existence and Being may never be completely revealed, uncovered, or understood, even up till the finality of our life. However, all humans share this fate and we are together in our pursuit of a greater purpose. This commonality binds us and whether we may coexist peacefully despite our differences or not depends on our actions. As a human species, we can choose to preserve and advance a state of commsenalistic or mutualistic symbiosis, or let our differences divide and alienate us. The responsibility of togetherness is managing divergences to attain productivity beyond the individual capacity. 

Hope 

In Hope, Mr Fan Shao Hua’s solitary pink flower blooms steadily against the mahogany-navy blue grey background that threatens to envelop it. Disregarding the gloomy surroundings, our floral ‘heroine’ triumphs as her rouge petals unfold. Mr Fan’s confident and clean brush strokes show the strength and optimism of his subject, and viewers are likewise inspired to remain hopeful during treacherous or tumultuous times. As Van Helsing tells Mina in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, “there are darkness’s in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.” Hope, like light in darkness, pierces through obstacles to guide us towards a new future that may have improved circumstances. The transformative power of optimism should not be underestimated as it gives individuals the strength to persevere in their goals or even to just live on. 

Tranquillity

Black, white, and grey are the only colours used in Tranquillity. In the absence of other colours, there is a simplicity and sense of calm in Mr Fan’s piece. With grey alone, the artist’s skilful blend of its different shades creates an image with extraordinary depth and textures. The sprouting flowers, unlike in Hope, merge with the shadowy background and do not stand out in particular. More interesting is the floating mist-like backdrop and the inky black leaves or branches that crowd the flowers. One imagines himself or herself to be walking in a foggy, secluded forest and coming across the present sight. The flowers grow undisturbed from animals or people, and in this tranquillity, they bloom for no one but themselves. The beauty of Nature lies in its unboastful and unhurried ways, following the beat to its own drum without care for the applause or jeers of spectators. Inner peace, for humans, may likewise be achieved this way. 

Passion

Red tones, the colour of fire, are a common symbol of passion while pink is associated with femininity, compassion, nurturance, and softness. The pale pink flowers are comfortably nestled within the coral background with its cobalt blue sepal and emerald leaves. Passion is the confluence of budding infatuation that meets with the raging torrents of romantic feelings. From tender love, there is an intense outpouring of feverish desire and excitement. Art goers may recall a moment of passion filled with anticipation and trepidation that still twinkles in a corner of their hearts. Mr Fan’s painting of red and pink tones is overwhelming, and rightfully so. Passion is easily overdosed, but a tamed one loses its essence. One can lament about the trappings of passion, but life would be so drab without it. 

Celebrity

Mr Fan Shao Hua’s subject for Celebrity appears to be a plum blossom, one of the Four Gentlemen in Chinese art. Alongside the orchid, the bamboo, and the chrysanthemum, these four flowers are the most commonly featured plants in Chinese bird-and-flower paintings under the traditional ink wash category. Mr Fan’s artistry lies in his continuous pushing of boundaries, such as later using oil paintings, traditionally a Western medium, to depict Eastern subjects.

As the harbinger of spring, the plum blossoms awaken while still covered in frost and they bloom as the winter thaws, much earlier than other plants. The virtues of the cool plant that are celebrated are strength, purity, and beauty, while the flower itself celebrates the transitoriness of life - the icy winter will end to welcome spring when the plants and animals awaken, while the spring must make way for the winter for the living creatures to rest. As the Perisan adage goes, “this too shall pass”. 

Strength

The snowy landscape of Strength gives viewers a sense of the flower thriving in the winter, while the predominantly white palette conveys a sense of purity and simplicity in conviction. Audiences imagine that against all odds, the flower refuses to wither or crumple under the billowing winds and the icy temperatures, standing steadfast with nothing but strength. Placed at the top of the canvas, the flower appears to be standing tall and erect as it towers over its circumstances. Mr Fan Shao Hua gives audiences a spectacle to behold and one for us to emulate. As Selma Lagerlöf, Swedish author of Gösta Berling's Saga, once noted, “What is so certain of victory as patience?” For the flower that tides through the cold patiently and blooms through the winter, it’s vitality shines when everyone else is in slumber, an apt metaphor for the courageous person who advances even with uncertainty.   

These two paintings, while at first glance appearing to be of stark contrast, in actuality have numerous similarities that may be easily missed by hasty art goers who hurry by. The obvious differences between the two are its colour palette (the left involves bold colours while the right only uses black, white, and grey), and the main subject of the paintings (the left being a flower-and-bird piece while the right painting depicts a waterfall). 

On closer inspection, art appreciators will find titbits left by Mr Fan that link the two pieces together including the incorporation of rock and stone elements, and birds in both artworks. For the vibrant flower-and-bird piece, there are hummingbirds perched on the branches that may signify that it is spring and the curious little creatures await for the flowers to open for them to feed hungrily on its nectar. One thinks of the Tang dynasty poet Meng Haoran and his poem Chun Xiao (春曉) that coos at the refreshing, precious moment that spring arrives. In the waterfall black-and-white art piece, cranes flock across mighty, towering cascades, possibly seeking shelter and warmth in the south as winter approaches. To the Chinese, cranes symbolise nobility and longevity, similar qualities that waterfalls represent. In both paintings, Mr Fan could be alluding to the harmony between Nature and animals, an enviable trait that humans sometimes deviate from.

As a child, Mr Fan Shao Hua was fascinated by tales of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義) and this interest may have bred a sense of adventure and bravery, a rich inner life and imagination, and sensitivity to complex issues. As an artist, Mr Fan started from Chinese paintings of lotus to a more unconventional hybrid style that borrowed from both Western and Chinese art techniques, which would eventually become his trademark.

To quote Mr Fan “艺术无国界，但作品可以反映一个艺术家的民族特质，所受的母体文化教育和传统审美观的影响。在日益国际化的当下， 我们如何保留自身文化特色，是艺术创作所面临的挑战。(Art has no national boundaries but an art piece may reflect the cultural characteristics of its artist who has been influenced by the teachings of his/her native education and traditional aesthetic appreciation. In a globalisation world, how we retain and preserve our native cultural uniqueness presents a challenge to artistic creation.)”