A Mountain Escape 1980 signed with three seals of the artist, dated gengshen year (1980) ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll 140 by 34.5 cm. 55 1/8 by 13 5/8 in.FootnotesProvenance Private Collection, Singapore Literature Heng Ngee Hwee, Teresa, Fan Chang Tien: The Literati Artist, Editions Didier Millet Pte Ltd, Singapore, 2014, p.90-91. 范昌乾 隱居佳境 一九八〇年作 款識：疊峰茂林眼底明，非同時態獨成生。聽得拙理教誰判，法則莫圖利祿名。 庚申年（1980）元宵節前畫並題句，范昌乾。 鈐印：園丁、昌乾、怕俗看 水墨設色紙本 立軸 來源 新加坡私人收藏 出版 王霓輝，《范昌乾詩書畫》，Editions Didier Millet Pte Ltd，新加坡，2014年，頁90-91 A Mountain Escape Lofty mountains, dense forest before me lay, Not the usual scenes of any mundane day. Pass your judgement on my humble name, Not by the yardstick of gain or fame. Born in Jieyang, in the Chinese province of Guangdong, Fan Chang Tien is recognised as one of Singapore's most influential pioneer artists. His oeuvre is true to the traditions of Chinese literati painting (wenren hua) and demonstrates his mastery over the "Three Perfections" in Chinese art: poetry, calligraphy, and painting. After graduating from Shanghai's Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts in 1928, Fan furthered his studies at the Changming Art Academy. He studied under the guidance of renowned Shanghai School (haishang huapai) artists, including Wang Yiting, Zhu Wenyun, Pan Tianshou, as well as Wang Geyi, a direct disciple of Shanghai's Chinese ink painting master Wu Changshuo. After Fan moved to Singapore in 1956, he not only brought fresh dimensions to the local art scene but also shaped the development of Chinese ink painting there. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to nurturing a new generation of artists; many of his students became established ink painters in Singapore. As a successor to the Shanghai School tradition of xieyi painting (the "sketching ideas" genre), Fan subtly employed fluid lines and spontaneous brushstrokes to convey the idea of harmony between human beings and nature in his work. Renowned for his ink paintings of bamboo symbolising a gentleman's virtues, Fan was also well-versed in landscapes and flower-and-bird paintings. His art skilfully integrates pictorial imagery with calligraphic strength and poetic inscriptions expressing his inner thoughts. The sophisticated composition of A Mountain Escape invites the viewer to fully immerse in its poetic setting and wander up the beautiful landscape. In this work, the essential elements of Chinese landscape paintings—mountains, trees, rocks, a river, and a waterfall—are all present and rendered with balance and rhythmic vitality, capturing an awe-inspiring moment in nature. The poem inscribed in the painting's upper-right corner shows Fan's humble and introverted character of not seeking fame and gain during his lifetime. His solid training in Chinese calligraphy and ink painting is also reflected in Wild Hibiscus and Eight Fish, where his seemingly effortless brushwork catches a fleeting and carefree moment of fish in motion. Moreover, this work contains a witty and humorous inscription that reveals Fan's great sense of humour. The subjects depicted in the painting—hibiscus (furong; wealth and glory), fish (yu; surplus and abundance), and the number eight (ba; good fortune)—all represent affluence and prosperity in Chinese culture. The enduring appeal of these two paintings reconfirms Fan's status as one of the most significant Chinese ink masters of the 20th century. 出生於廣東揭陽的范昌乾被公認為新加坡最具影響力的先驅畫家之一。范氏畢生的作品傳承中國文人畫的獨特風格，其藝術成就集「詩書畫三絕」於一身。 范氏在1920年代就學於上海新華藝專，1928年畢業之後進入昌明藝術專科學校深造，師從海上畫派大師包括王一亭、諸聞韻、潘天壽，以及海派書畫大師吳昌碩的親傳弟子王個簃等人。1956年范氏輾轉抵星，不僅為新加坡的藝術發展注入新意，更將中國水墨畫的精髓帶至當地加以發揚光大 。范氏潛心藝事數十載，熱衷提攜後輩，多位弟子成為獅城畫壇中堅。 身為海派寫意畫傳人，范氏在其作品當中細膩地運用流暢的線條與生動的筆法，借此詮釋天人合一的境界。范氏以畫竹聞名，所謂「畫如其人」，其墨竹作品亦顯現這位大師之氣節和風骨。此外，他也專精於山水畫和花鳥畫。綜論之，范氏的藝術創作盡顯其詩、書、畫全方位的紮實功底，展現其內在深厚的文化學養。 《隱居佳境》絕佳的構圖讓觀者如臨其境，悠游於畫中描繪的秀麗山水之間。這幅作品納入中國傳統山水畫的主要元素，如奇峰、樹石、涓流和飛瀑，這些景物在其筆墨之下融合為一，且氣韻生動，完美捕捉令人讚嘆的自然之美。畫作右上方的題詩，則是顯現范氏一生謙遜內斂、淡泊名利的性格。《芙蓉八魚圖》以巧妙的書法筆觸入畫，展露范氏精湛的書畫技巧，並栩栩如生地描繪出魚兒在水中自在游動的瞬間和神態。此畫的題詩內容更是展現范氏的風趣和幽默感。畫中元素如芙蓉（福、富；榮）、游魚（有餘），以及吉祥數字八（發）在中國文化當中皆象徵興旺和富足。這兩幅經典之作的藝術價值，充分證明范氏作為上世紀中國水墨大師的重要地位。