Tan Er
BORN: 1917
HOMETOWN: CHINA
LIVED AND WORKED: SINGAPORE
Tan Er (b. 1917-1998) came to Singapore when he was 19 years old, relying on his uncle to make a living. He had started studying calligraphy in his hometown, but was busy with business, so he couldn’t concentrate on the art until he retired at the age of 65. In 1989, he was awarded the Chen Jingzhao Calligraphy Award, which was a turning point in his life, and he was encouraged to study calligraphy more diligently since then. His love of calligraphy soon prompted him to combine calligraphy art and literature with greater enthusiasm; Devoted himself to the creation of poetry and pairing, and in the form of calligraphy art to express. He is very active in the calligraphy industry, having served as vice president of the Singapore Lions City Calligraphy Engraving Society, and served as a judge of calligraphy competitions. In addition to being exhibited regularly in Singapore, the works have also been exhibited in China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Malaysia.
Tan Er is a studious practitioner of Chinese calligraphy and tends to employ various styles of calligraphy including the Hsin style (semi-cursive), Kai style (block / standard script), and the Tsao style (cursive). Many of his calligraphy works such as his couplets, contain poetic idioms and phrases in Chinese characters, ideal for blessing the space of a new household or business venture, to offer words of peace and wisdom to its onlookers.