Tan Choo Kai, Red Earth (红土地), 2012

Oil on canvas
36 x 46 cm (visible), 58 x 68 x 5 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good, with paint loss and craquelure at the top left section of the work.
Acquired directly from the artist.

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Tan Choo Kai (Singaporean, 1937–2021) was a Singaporean painter and art educator whose practice focused primarily on landscape painting. He studied under Singaporean artist Yap Chi Wei, whose influence can be seen in his expressive use of colour and emphasis on artistic interpretation rather than strict realism. Working mainly in oil, Tan depicted landscapes across Singapore, Southeast Asia, China and Europe, using bold brushstrokes and palette knives to create richly textured compositions.

Tan’s paintings celebrate the beauty and vitality of nature, often presenting mountains, forests, rivers and rural villages in vibrant, harmonious colours. Rather than reproducing scenery exactly as it appeared, he painted from memory, blending observation with imagination and emotion to create dreamlike landscapes. Alongside his artistic career, he taught at Nan Chiau High School and Nanyang Girls’ High School for more than three decades, retiring in 1997. His work was exhibited locally and internationally, and he received awards from Singapore’s Ministry of Culture in 1968 and the Japanese Modern Art Association in 2002.

(Photographed in September 2026)

Oil on canvas
36 x 46 cm (visible), 58 x 68 x 5 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good, with paint loss and craquelure at the top left section of the work.
Acquired directly from the artist.

-

Tan Choo Kai (Singaporean, 1937–2021) was a Singaporean painter and art educator whose practice focused primarily on landscape painting. He studied under Singaporean artist Yap Chi Wei, whose influence can be seen in his expressive use of colour and emphasis on artistic interpretation rather than strict realism. Working mainly in oil, Tan depicted landscapes across Singapore, Southeast Asia, China and Europe, using bold brushstrokes and palette knives to create richly textured compositions.

Tan’s paintings celebrate the beauty and vitality of nature, often presenting mountains, forests, rivers and rural villages in vibrant, harmonious colours. Rather than reproducing scenery exactly as it appeared, he painted from memory, blending observation with imagination and emotion to create dreamlike landscapes. Alongside his artistic career, he taught at Nan Chiau High School and Nanyang Girls’ High School for more than three decades, retiring in 1997. His work was exhibited locally and internationally, and he received awards from Singapore’s Ministry of Culture in 1968 and the Japanese Modern Art Association in 2002.

(Photographed in September 2026)

Artwork located in: Singapore